A relic of Saint Carlo Acutis, brought from Assisi, is travelling across Australia on a pilgrimage that will visit 19 dioceses and 53 cities. On the first day of October, the relic was welcomed at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Melbourne by Redemptorist Cardinal Mykola Bychok. The day was filled with prayer, with many intentions entrusted to Saint Carlo and many people coming to venerate his relics.
Throughout the day, the faithful prayed together, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, received the blessing with the relics, spent time in prayer before them and visited the exhibition. The day concluded with the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, praying for the healing of soul and body.
The relic had already been welcomed in Sydney, where, despite the cold and the rain, thousands of the faithful came to the cathedral to pray. In Brisbane, children, young people, families and the elderly came to venerate the relic and learn the story of the young Italian saint. His journey is accompanied by the exhibition on Eucharistic miracles created by Carlo himself. Having died at only 15, this boy with a passion for computers had grasped something that continues to speak to the world: “The Eucharist is my highway to Heaven.” In these days, thousands of kilometres from Italy, his witness is still leading people of every age towards Jesus.
As The Catholic Weekly reports, the relic of Saint Carlo Acutis is travelling from the great cities to rural centres as part of a four-month mission aimed at bringing Australians closer to Christ in the Eucharist. Australia is the twenty-fifth country to receive this important relic. The mission began at St Mary’s Cathedral on 25 June and will conclude in Sydney on 25 October.
The pilgrimage of the relics of Saint Carlo Acutis, often called the “apostle of the Eucharist” and known as a promoter of Eucharistic adoration, is seen as an important stage in the journey of preparation for the International Eucharistic Congress. From 24 September to 1 October 2028, Sydney will host the 54th Congress (Eucharist28), preceded by a theological symposium from 20 to 22 September. Australia has already hosted the Congress in Sydney in 1928 and in Melbourne in 1973: the 2028 edition will mark one hundred years since the first.
Scala News (photo from the Facebook page of the Ukrainian Cathedral)
