Mission of St Carlo Acutis NZ schedule released

Archbishop Paul Martin SM will preside at a Corpus Christi and First Communion Mass on June 7 at which the relic of St Carlo Acutis will be welcomed.

The relic will visit five dioceses in Aoteroa New Zealand – Wellington, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Christchurch and Dunedin – between June 7 and 21. The full itinerary has been published by Catholic Discovery NZ.

Among the venues that will welcome the relic during the fortnight are Taihape, Ohinemutu, Glenholme, Kaiapoi, Timaru, Oamaru and the Carmelite monastery in Halswell, Christchurch.

The relic will also be at cathedrals in Wellington, Palmerston North and Dunedin, as well as being at the Pro-Cathedral in Christchurch.

When the visit of a relic and the associated exhibition to Australian dioceses was publicised, an approach was made to see if the tour could extend to New Zealand. That addition could be made, albeit with a limited timeframe – meaning the tour will not take in the whole country. The tour is officially known as the Mission of St Carlo Acutis.

St Carlo Acutis, who was canonised last September, was an Italian teenager with a deep Catholic faith and a passion for spreading that faith using technology. Among his online projects was a website of eucharistic miracles, which he built before he died in 2006 at the age of 15.

He has been dubbed by many “the patron saint of the internet”, in light of that work.

The Catholic Enquiry Centre requested prayers for the Aotearoa New Zealand pilgrimage — “that many hearts may be inspired, renewed, and drawn closer to Jesus”.

FULL STORY

A Relic of St Carlo Acutis is Coming to Aotearoa (Catholic Discovery NZ)

A special blessing for New Zealand (Catholic Enquiry NZ/Facebook)

Relic of St Carlo Acutis coming to New Zealand in June (NZCBC)