Blessed Carlo Acutis relic and exhibition mesmerises students

By Josh Low

The Carlo Acutis Relic and ‘Eucharistic Miracles of the World’ exhibition has been touring the state for several weeks and has already touched the hearts and minds of many.

Hosted by the Emmanuel Centre and the Launceston, Devonport and Riverside parishes, the first-class relic and exhibition has also visited Burnie’s Marist Regional College, St Brendan-Shaw College in Devonport and St Patrick’s College in Prospect Vale.

Instructional Leader for Religious Education at Launceston’s Sacred Heart Primary and Larmenier Primary School in St Leonard’s, Anita Cunningham, said the relic tour and exhibition was an amazing experience.

“I’d known a bit about Blessed Carlo for a while, because I’ve always had a bit of interest in Eucharistic miracles,” she explained.

“When I saw that he was being made a saint, and then that we had a first-class relic coming here to Tasmania, I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kids at the two schools I’m working at to experience that, and to actually see a relic, particularly of someone who was just a little bit older than they are themselves.”

Anita said students and teachers from both schools attended the exhibition at the Emmanuel Centre.

“The kids were mesmerised by it,” she said.

“I’ve been working in Catholic education for over 30 years, and that was the best week in my entire career.”

“Just to see the faith on those kids’ faces, especially when they walked in, not knowing what they were going to encounter, and just to see their belief, their excitement in it, and their reverence, it was so beautiful.

“You could really feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in the room. There were some children who went, who said to me they didn’t believe in God. When they were over there, they changed their minds.

“They identified with him. They like their PlayStations. They like riding bikes. They have pets like he had.

“I think they were blown away by the fact that he started doing the exhibition, putting it together on the computer when he was about their age.

Following the visit, Anita said many students had told her how wonderful the experience had been for them.

“The kids were coming up to me saying, ‘Why don’t we know about this sort of stuff?’”

She added that it had also boosted the faith of staff members.

“The modern world doesn’t put this sort of stuff in the paper… they’re not that interested in what it really means because the reality of what it means is pretty challenging for a lot of people.

“I hope what the students take away from this is the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

“Hopefully they come away with that, and with this feeling that they’ve got a friend who is a saint in heaven,” she said.

Mersey-Leven parishioner Isaac Bell attended the Young Adults Night at the Emmanuel Centre to view the exhibition, venerate the relic and watch a documentary about Blessed Carlo’s life.

“I honestly had no idea who he was or that he existed before that night,” Isaac said.

“It was very inspirational. Here’s this young man who didn’t necessarily go out of his way to convert others.

“The way he helped to bring so many people to Christ was just by simply being himself. It was just the simplicity of his actions; his absolute love for Christ and his ingenuity in the modern age which I found inspiring. He just lived how God wanted him to live.

“Sometimes we can get carried away with what we hope to achieve – we want to do this great big thing for God. But it starts first with deepening our own relationship with God.

“And for Carlo it seemed that that was his priority, Jesus was his friend above everything else. Then through that so many people saw the relationship he had with Christ and the fruits that followed,” Isaac said.

Out winning friends for Jesus with Blessed Carlo

Organiser Kate Hobbs, who has had the exhibition for 15 years and obtained the first-class relic in 2022, arrived in Tasmania in mid-July for the commencement of the Relic and Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition tour across the state.

This is the first time the relic and exhibition has come to Tasmania, with Kate describing the experience as an enormous grace.

“I’d say we’re out winning friends for Jesus with Blessed Carlo.

“Like Blessed Carlo and other saints, if people really understood Jesus is truly present, we’d change the world.

“I think he’s relatable in his everyday clothes even though he came from a wealthy family with noble connections. He fed the poor and had a love for computers, but exercised restraint with social media and games.

“One of the biggest things I’ve seen is when children hear that his family were not devout and that he was a witness to his own parents, it sort of opens children up to saying, ‘Oh, I don’t have to wait for my parents. I can do this. I can go to Jesus too.’

Recalling the story of Blessed Carlo appearing to his mother in a dream, Kate explained that he told his mother he would be made a Blessed and canonised soon after, following which there would be an explosion of grace.

“I just believe we’re in the front box office seat of seeing the beginning of that universal grace,” she said.

“We’re booked out. We are getting booked out to Christmas and beyond, but I’ve been trying to encourage bishops and dioceses to have their own exhibition, their own relic, to just be able to run with the grace while it’s coming from heaven.”

The Relic and Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition Tour continues in the south of the state from 19 August and will be open to the public at Hobart’s St Mary’s Cathedral over the following two weekends.

Carlo Acutis Relic & Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition

St Mary’s Cathedral, Hobart (Cathedral Centre)

Saturday 24 August: 10am-7.30pm

Sunday 25 August: 9am-6pm

Saturday 31 August: 10am-7.30pm

Sunday 1 September: 9am-1pm