St Carlo Acutis first-class relic installed in Rotorua

The relic, a strand of St Carlo’s hair, was presented to Hamilton Bishop Richard Laurenson by Msgr Anthony Figueiredo in June when the latter visited New Zealand accompanying a different pilgrim relic of the saint.

The visit of the major first-class pilgrim relic of St Carlo earlier this year brought people together from across Hamilton diocese for prayer, veneration and pilgrimage. Now, the smaller first-class relic will have a home in Rotorua, offering an ongoing opportunity to pray and seek St Carlo’s intercession.

The installation and enshrinement took place at St Mary’s on October 11.

Pā Gerard Paterson opened his homily by acknowledging the leadership of the young people today – in prayer, ministry, singing the psalm and more – as signs of the Lord’s grace at work, calling people to open their lives to his presence.

Pā Paterson encouraged all the young people present to know Jesus and allow him to come close, recognising their presence as a response to that invitation. Reflecting on St Carlo’s love of the Eucharist, the congregation was reminded that the encounter with Jesus sends them back into the world to share his love.

St Carlo Acutis, who was canonised in September 2025, 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 tour of the relic in Aotearoa New Zealand earlier this year was titled as the Mission of St Carlo Acutis.

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A special morning in Rotorua (Catholic Diocese of Hamilton/Facebook)

Installation of St Carlo Relic (Catholic Diocese of Hamilton)

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