{"id":104333,"date":"2025-08-23T13:24:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T13:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/104333\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T13:24:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T13:24:13","slug":"at-the-foot-of-the-cross-in-assisi-new-carlo-acutis-sculpture-unveiled-ahead-of-canonization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/104333\/","title":{"rendered":"At the foot of the cross in Assisi: New Carlo Acutis sculpture unveiled ahead of canonization"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-beyondwords-marker=\"a29a9d53-bd14-4de7-8d86-fbe56ad28dba\">Just weeks before his canonization, a new bronze sculpture of Blessed Carlo Acutis \u2014 dubbed \u201cthe saint of the millennials\u201d \u2014 was installed Aug. 15 in a church garden near his final resting place in Assisi, Italy.<\/p>\n<p data-beyondwords-marker=\"e29f0132-f2fe-4c9c-9e66-51f81a75e786\">The sculpture, titled \u201cSt. Carlo at the Cross,\u201d is the work of Canadian <a href=\"https:\/\/timothypaulschmalz.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sculptor<\/a> Timothy Schmalz, known for pieces like \u201cHomeless Jesus\u201d and \u201cAngels Unawares,\u201d according to an Aug. 21 press release.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-beyondwords-marker=\"5349dc2b-2c72-44b5-8cc5-bd5ced78a3ed\">Installed at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, within the Sanctuary of the Renunciation, the sculpture portrays Acutis kneeling prayerfully before the crucified Christ.<\/p>\n<p data-beyondwords-marker=\"ecb4613a-dbed-4e5b-9c1a-2d693aedbabf\">The statue reflects Carlo\u2019s deep Eucharistic devotion and digital evangelism. In his hands rests a laptop bearing the image of a chalice and paten \u2014 symbols of his famed cataloging of Eucharistic miracles online. A sling hanging from his backpack evokes the biblical David: a youthful warrior facing the Goliath of secularism, armed not with stones but with digital tools and faith.<\/p>\n<p data-beyondwords-marker=\"967d580c-70cc-4510-8de7-65c9ecc7aceb\">Held on the Solemnity of the Assumption, the blessing ceremony included a Rosary led by Bishop Domenico Sorrentino of the dioceses of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino and Foligno and Father Marco Gaballo, the rector of the sanctuary.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"599\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/feature-4-p-m-statue-of-carlo-acutis-unveiled-in-assisi-close-to-his-tomb-1-1024x599.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-102940\"  \/>Photo: Diocese of Assisi<\/p>\n<p data-beyondwords-marker=\"cb2dbab8-80c4-4ea1-8be7-bfe62cb0f33d\">The bishop urged everyone \u201cto pray and to welcome with joy the great miracle of faith and devotion\u201d and invited the faithful to spiritually prepare for Acutis\u2019 upcoming canonization Sept. 7 in Rome.<\/p>\n<p data-beyondwords-marker=\"016ae0b5-d753-4940-9238-0068d49c5590\">Schmalz, who gifted the sculpture to the city, said his hope is to contribute not just to the Church\u2019s artistic heritage but also to its spiritual formation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-beyondwords-marker=\"620caac2-8895-42f7-9b64-686bb3050838\">\u201cAs we add new figures to the army of Catholic saints,\u201d he said, \u201cwe also add new works of art; both enrich our heritage and deepen our understanding of the faith.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-beyondwords-marker=\"83fec276-c94b-4977-94c7-404f407a7ac1\" class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/catholicvote.org\/blessed-carlo-acutis-to-be-canonized-along-with-blessed-pier-giorgio-frassati-sept-7\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&gt;&gt; Blessed Carlo Acutis to be canonized along with Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Sept 7 &lt;&lt;<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/catholicvote.org\/podcast\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"154\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/cv-loopcast-article-ad_1-960x154-1.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-86159\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just weeks before his canonization, a new bronze sculpture of Blessed Carlo Acutis \u2014 dubbed \u201cthe saint of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104334,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,229,88],"class_list":["post-104333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}