Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1500196
9 Something similar hap- pened with the witness of Bl. Carlo Acutis, who happens to be one of the patrons of this Eucharistic Revival we find ourselves in. This smart, kind and video game-loving Italian teenager was also a devoted lover of the Eucharist. When he received his first communion, his family was nominally Catholic — his mother had only been to Mass a handful of times before in her life. Yet from a very young age, Carlo, in his wonder, was drawn to the Catholic Church and espe- cially the Eucharist. Once he received the Eucharist for the first time, he made his mom bring him to Mass every day — it was him doing the dragging, not the other way around as it usually is. "It was my son Carlo who taught me everything," said Carlo's mother Antonia Salzano in a recent inter- view. "Even as a child, he showed great piet y: At the age of three, when we passed in front of a church, he wanted to go in, greet Jesus on the cross and Jesus in the tabernacle, and bring little f lowers to Our Lady. At the age of four and a half, he was reading the Bible and the lives of the saints and was praying the Rosary. If in the case of St. Therese of Lisieux, her parents were the great educators; in the case of Carlo, the roles were reversed. He was my little savior, and above all he was my great educator in the faith." Carlo was a computer whiz, and during his brief but impactful 15 years of life, he spent much of his free time building a web database devoted to reported eucharistic miracles around the worlds, complete with presentations that are being utilized for this Eucharistic Revival. Even amid the great suf- fering he endured while battling an aggres- sive form of leukemia that ultimately took his life, the Eucharist remained Carlo's tether to Christ. He showed great reverence always for the sacrament, and through this reverence, inspired the conversion of many through his eucharistic witness, including his own family members. ⊲ Live freely. Sleep soundly. At The Gardens at St. Elizabeth, we put the living into our supportive independent living options so you can still live anyway you choose. With a wellness center, 14th-floor pub, dog park, historic chapel and many exceptional services and amenities on site, rest assured you'll have the support you need to live the way you want. Learn more about The Gardens at St. Elizabeth's safe, maintenance-free Independent Living options and our other services at 720.909.3814 or CHILivingCommunities.org. DENVER CATHOLIC | JUNE 2023