CAMROSE, ALTA. — While the brand new Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic High School welcomed students for their first days of classes, principal Bob Charchun said the history and legacy of the Italian computer whiz has only been alluded to briefly.
Chaplain Josh Stang said this will change in the weeks and months ahead as leaders of the Camrose, Alta., school vowed to honour the first millennial saint throughout the 2025-26 school year.
Charchun said the selection of Acutis as the eponym of the school “has been a point of excitement” since the announcement was made, but admitted that it was “quite a rigamarole” to transfer to the new building in time for the first day of classes, so the newly sainted Acutis has sort of been lost in the shuffle.
But Stang has made sure the new saint will be front and centre in the school this year. Stang will share resources about Acutis’ legacy with the students on Sept. 8, the day after Pope Leo XIV canonizes him alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati, a Third Order Dominican from Turin, Italy, who passed away at the age of 24 in 1925 after a lifetime of exemplifying turning faith into works.
“I think we have a really great opportunity to do our namesake justice,” said Stang. “We can take some intentional time to explore the way the spirit is moving through our school to implement Carlo’s charism deliberately so that our students and our staff feel his intercession as we go throughout our school year and into the years ahead.”
Charchun and Stang are currently not in a position to preview the more ambitious plans to commemorate Acutis. Currently, the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) and the provincial government are at a bargaining impasse. On June 10, 94.5 per cent of ATA members voted in favour of a strike mandate to begin at any time within 120 days (Oct. 7), unless an agreement is reached.
Stang said the eventual curriculum initiatives, liturgies and school spirit celebrations commemorating Acutis will be conceptualized to inspire students to powerfully relate to the teenager.
“Understanding Carlo and the struggles that he went through with his health, and understanding he was a student in high school when he passed, offers a real hinge point for our students,” said Stang. “(They can) look at this young man and say, ‘I see myself in him. I see myself in his struggles. I’m interested in technology so I see myself in him that way too. If I can see myself in that saint, I can maybe see myself walking a journey with Christ.’”
Charchun endorsed Stang’s sentiments about Acutis as an aspirational figure for the students and shared his admiration for the millennial preaching technology usage in moderation.
“He didn’t fixate on his phone or technology for hours and hours,” said Charchun. “He obviously shared his time with Christ in the Eucharist, and Mass was a passion. I think that is a neat element to share with the students this year and beyond.”
