Carlo Acutis statue to serve
as a model for students
by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org
LEAWOOD — The authentic life of Blessed Carlo Acutis is a model for our times, according to leaders at St. Michael the Archangel Parish here.
“He loved Jesus, he loved sports, he loved soccer, he loved video games,” said Father Luke Doyle, associate pastor at St. Michael. “He was a normal kid who put Jesus first.
“So, it’s possible for any of us to do that.”
Acutis grew up in Italy and passed away from leukemia at age 15. Now, he has the potential to become the first-ever millennial saint.
To inspire the students of St. Michael the Archangel School with his example, the school commissioned Ferdinand Stuflesser 1875 — an Italian-based sculpting company — to create a lifelike statue of the teen.
It was unveiled to the school community on March 27.
“It’s beautiful,” said Father Doyle. “I think it’s a really incredible way that we can invite Carlo into our community — not just through prayer, but through having his representation, his likeness, in the school.”
Sister Lucia Maria Sol, SCTJM, campus minister, led the unveiling ceremony, and pastor Father Brian Schieber blessed the statue, which features Blessed Acutis accompanied by one of his dogs, the Eucharist, a Bible and a rosary.
The sculpture is six-feet tall — the same height the teen was in real life — and made of wood except for his eyes, which are crystal. It took around six months to create.
The idea for the statue came about after a few members of the St. Michael staff visited the motherhouse of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Miami, where they saw the community’s lifelike sculpture of Blessed Acutis.
“They commented on how powerful it is and how beautiful and instrumental Carlo is,” said Sister Lucia.
Last year, parish staff decided to commission their own version from the same sculpting company.
“Blessed Carlo is such a model of holiness for our time,” said Sister Lucia.
From the time he made his first Communion, Acutis attended daily Mass so he could receive the Eucharist, she said. He also prayed a daily rosary.
“From a young age, you could tell he knew his priorities,” said Sister Lucia. “He knew where the fountain of life was. He knew where authentic joy came from, and it’s the eucharistic heart of Jesus, our Blessed Mother, the saints.”
Acutis didn’t keep the faith to himself.
“He had compassion and empathy for others,” said Sister Lucia. “He made so many friends. He would go and feed the poor. He would be there for the suffering.
“He spent his life in service to others, bringing the joyful news of the Gospel.”
Acutis also used his talent for technology to document more than 130 eucharistic miracles, and his exhibit now travels around the world.
“St. John Paul II always said that the third millennium would raise up so many saints,” said Sister Lucia. “[Blessed Acutis] is a vivid and complete way of that.”
The campus minister believes Blessed Acutis’ profound faith amid suffering can be a model for students at St. Michael.
She hopes it will help them “understand that suffering, united with the suffering of Christ, bears so much fruit.”
“And that’s ultimately what makes us holy,” she continued. “It’s not just when happy moments are around or consolations, but the saints — and Carlo in this case — teach us how to lovingly and joyfully embrace suffering for the good of the world and the good of the church.”
Sister Lucia pointed out that the teen is still on the road to sainthood.
“And yet he has conquered the hearts of so many in our world today,” she said. “It’s just amazing.”
God, that is ghastly. As if Jack Vettriano had been commissioned to do a full size statue of Ken (as in Ken and Barbie). The poor child deserves a better memorial than that.
ReplyDeleteFor once Detters we agree on something. The aesthetic quality of this statue is appalling. If Jack Vettriano turned to sculpture he probably would not turn out something as bad as this. But, it's not about art. It is about this inspirational young man.
ReplyDeleteGENE
And an inspirational young man deserves some inspired art, not this crap.
ReplyDeleteIt speaks volumes about your commitment to cheap and nasty art that you are not speaking out and leading a fundraising campaign to commission a proper memorial.
But that would require you putting some actual money towards a good cause, and you are too mean to give anyone the pickings from your nose, much less put your money where your vast, slack, drivelling gob is, do you?
Better to smear people who flatten you in argument, eh?
And, lest we forget:
ReplyDeleteHad Ratzinger unfrocked Kiesle in 1985, the abuse of children at St Joseph's would not have continued for a further three years. That is a FACT, no matter how often you try to deny it.
Ratzinger's apology in full reads as follows [my footnotes}:
“I can only express to all the victims [1] of sexual abuse my profound shame, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt request for forgiveness. I have had great responsibilities [2] in the Catholic Church. All the greater is my pain for the abuses [3] and the errors [4] hat occurred in those different places [5] during the time of my mandate."[6]
1 ALL THE VICTIMS, Gene: victimS, plural: you can tell this by the S on the end of the word. All the victims of sexual abuse that occurred during Ratzingers time as Archbishop of Munich [1977- 1982] and later head of the Congregation of the Faith and Pope - that is, 1985 - 2013. The phrase "ALL THE VICTIMS therefore must include the victims of Stephen Kiesle between the years 1985-1988, when Ratzinger failed to unfrock Kiesle. [2] I HAVE HAD GREAT RESPONSIBILITES [see 1 above]: and one of those was to detect, root out and expel priests and others in the Catholic Church whose favourite hobby was buggering small boys and raping little girls. These GREAT RESPONSIBILITIES obviously include those children abused by Stephen Kiesle after Ratzinger failed to unfrock him in 1985. [3] THE ABUSES - these must include the abuses committed by Stephen Kiesle after Ratzinger failed to unfrock him [unless you can prove differently, Gene?].
[4] THE ERRORS - these must include Ratzinger's failure to unfrock Kiesle in 1985 and probably his failure to alert Fr Thomas Ryan that he was allowing a convicted paedophile rapist to minister to the young people in his church.
[5] THOSE DIFFERENT PLACES - except, of course at St Joseph's Church, Penole, CA, where Stephen Kiesle, still a priest, continued to abuse children during the years 1985-1988 - Ratzinger made it clear that his apology did not include this, didn't he, Gene, and you can prove that, can't you? What's that? oh, you can't? Dear me, and YOU call ME a lying tosser... [5] DURING MY MANDATE: that is, during the years 1985 - 2013.
It is clear to anyone whose mind has a greater ratiocinatory capacity than a pair of skid-marked underpants that Ratzinger was apologising for all the sexual abuse committed on his watch 1985-2013 by priests whom he failed either properly to oversee, accurately to diagnose and condignly to punish, as well as arranging for their being unable to access children and young people ever again.
"I can only express to ALL the victims of sexual abuse my profound shame, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt request for forgiveness." It's that word ALL that gives it away, Gene: I'm sorry if it's confusing. Stuff your pissy little opinions up your arse. I will not apologise for telling the truth, and I will go on telling it until you acknowledge that it is the truth. In the meantime, I continue to wait for your answer to this:
"Detters can we leave A.N. WILSON and ARIANNA HUFFINGTON behind?"
Not until you have dealt honestly with this example of your lying bastardy:
'Gene writes beautifully - something not always the case with authors of trail-blazing literary works.' [A.N. WILSON]
"The genius of James Joyce is alive and well and living amongst us. His name is Gene Vincent." [A.N. WILSON]
'I was enthralled. A new star has shot into the literary firmament. [ARIANNA HUFFINGTON]
When you are going to admit that you have made these reviews and their authors up? Make no mistake: I am going to keep on asking until you tell the truth, or I lose patience, inform Mr Wilson and Ms Huffington and let nature take its course.
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