Malawi: Faith at the Foot of Michiru Mountain

Blantyre: As Pope Leo XIV prepares to canonize Carlo Acutis on September 7 in Rome, students at Carlo Acutis Catholic High School in Blantyre are readying their own celebrations. Grace Matumba, a leader in campus ministry, shared, “Our students look up to him as a model in their faith. He was a young man who gave his life for Christ.”

Opened in 2022 with just 90 students, the school has grown to accommodate 300, with boarding facilities for girls and a dedicated computer lab. The high school is part of a Catholic education complex including a nursery, primary school, and college, each named after modern Catholic figures such as Mother Teresa, John Paul II, and now Carlo Acutis, the Church’s first millennial saint.

United States: Virtual Classrooms Inspired by the Digital Saint

In Wisconsin, Blessed Carlo Acutis Academy serves students in grades 5–12 across rural counties through a virtual platform. Assistant Superintendent Therese Milbrath emphasized the flexibility it offers: “We have homeschool families, students with autism, military families, and even a young hockey player seeking more ice time. The online format meets their diverse needs.” Despite being virtual, the academy maintains a distinctly Catholic identity with prayer, religion classes each semester, and a curriculum infused with faith.

Meanwhile, in Miami, the Carlo Acutis Virtual Academy (CAVA) became the first archdiocese-sanctioned online Catholic school, Cognia-accredited for international educational standards. Serving K–12 students, CAVA uses technology to spread the faith, reflecting Acutis’ legacy as the Church’s first computer-coding saint.

Australia: Echoes of Assisi in Melbourne

On the other side of the world, Carlo Acutis Catholic Primary School opened in Melbourne in 2025, just months before Acutis’ canonization. Founding Principal Damian Howard visited Assisi to meet Acutis’ mother and draw inspiration. “Our school colors, navy and red, reflect Carlo’s favorites and the town flag of Assisi,” Howard explained.

The school’s design mirrors the brickwork of St. Mary Major in Assisi, where Acutis is buried. Values such as faith, service, generosity, and courage were chosen to reflect his life. With 110 students and an 80-person waiting list, the school also houses a first-class relic of Carlo Acutis in its chapel.

North America: Schools Preparing for Canonization

In Grand Junction, Colorado, the Chesterton Academy of Blessed Carlo Acutis opens this fall, inspired by the saint’s embrace of faith and technology. In Camrose, Alberta, Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic High School welcomes students on September 2, with plans to rename it “St. Carlo Acutis” following the canonization.

The Academy of Carlo Acutis in Peoria, Illinois, merges three Catholic schools this fall, a process guided by students who proposed and voted on the new name. Similarly, Santiago, Chile, unites four schools serving 4,500 students under the Carlo Acutis Educational Network, and a Catholic school in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, has made a pilgrimage to Rome to honor their patron saint.

Global Reach: From Argentina to the Philippines

Schools across Argentina, Mexico, Italy, and England are adopting Carlo Acutis’ name. The Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy in Cheshire became the first joint-faith school to take on his patronage. In the Philippines, St. Peter the Apostle School launched the Blessed Carlo Acutis Artificial Intelligence Immersive Learning Center, integrating digital technology with Catholic education.

Coming Soon: Houston and Edmonton

Edmonton, Canada, is building a $51 million Carlo Acutis Catholic High School for 1,300 students, set to open in fall 2026. Meanwhile, Catholics in Houston’s Bay Area are fundraising $50 million for a new high school, projected to welcome its first class in 2027 with a mission to be “unapologetically Catholic” and “academically excellent.” Vice President Maria Jose Valladares said, “We consider ourselves privileged to have a patron that our students can directly relate to and emulate from his love for his friends to his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.”

A Global Celebration of Canonization

Across the world, Catholic schools are preparing to update their names and materials to reflect Carlo Acutis’ sainthood. From Malawi to Melbourne, Wisconsin to Houston, students will honor the Church’s first computer-coding saint through Masses, plays, and educational programs. Damian Howard in Melbourne summarized the global sentiment: “There’s a lot of changes that will have to be made, but how exciting that we can call it St. Carlo Acutis Catholic Primary School.”