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TRANSFORMED BY THE EUCHARIST: BL. CARLO ACUTIS AND ST. JOHN PAUL II

TEMPORARY EXHIBIT AND RELICS AVAILABLE STARTING APRIL 19

RENEW YOUR LOVE FOR THE HOLY EUCHARIST UNDER THE EXAMPLE OF THESE TWO GREAT SAINTS!

Starting on April 19, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine will offer the opportunity to venerate the first-class relics of Bl. Carlo Acutis together with the Shrine's permanent relic of St. John Paul II. A temporary display of Bl. Carlo Acutis’ Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit, paired with words and images of St. John Paul II on the Eucharist, will lead pilgrims in the contemplation of this deep mystery of our faith. We hope that sharing these two great saints' devotion for the Blessed Sacrament and venerating their relics will enkindle in our pilgrims “the transforming power present in the Eucharist.” (EE, 62).

A picture of Carlo Acutis cropped next to a picture of Saint John Paul II holding a monstrance

The Saint John Paul II National Shrine will offer a temporary display of Bl. Carlo Acutis’ Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit in connection with St. John Paul II’s love and devotion for the Eucharist. The display, entitled Transformed by the Eucharist: Bl. Carlo Acutis and St. John Paul II offers a selection of panels from the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit designed by Bl. Carlo that have a special tie to St. John Paul II. It also includes quotes and images from St. John Paul II on the Eucharist. A first-class relic, a strand of Carlo’s hair, will also be available for veneration. The relic was a gift to the Shrine from Antonia Acutis, Bl. Carlo’s mother, who visited the Shrine in October 2023.

Bl. Carlo and St. John Paul II shared an intense love and devotion to the Holy Eucharist. During his twenty-six years as Pope, St. John Paul II continuously sought to increase devotion to the Holy Eucharist, both by his example and through his teachings. He famously confessed that “the Eucharist is the secret of my day” (Address to young people of Bologna, Sept. 27, 1997) and dedicated his last encyclical to the teachings of the Church on the Eucharist, Ecclesia de Eucharistia. Bl. Carlo’s love for the Holy Sacrament led him to design an online exhibit on the “Eucharistic Miracles of the World” to draw others to the understanding of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

With this exhibit that brings together Bl. Carlo’s designs with St. John Paul II’s words and images, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine renews its commitment to the New Evangelization. We are especially happy to be able to offer this new display during this year of Eucharistic Revival in the United States, culminating in the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July 2024, of which Bl. Carlo has been named co-patron. It is our hope that Bl. Carlo’s exhibit, together with the words and images of Saint John Paul II, and the veneration of the first-class relic of Bl. Carlo, will enkindle in our pilgrims the love and devotion to the Holy Eucharist shared by these two great contemporary saints.