Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Verapoly (Agenzia Fides) – While on Sunday, September 7, in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV canonized Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, in India, the Archbishop of Verapoly, Joseph Kalathiparambil, consecrated and inaugurated with a solemn Eucharistic celebration a church dedicated to Saint Carlo Acutis: the first in the country - and in the world - dedicated to the young Italian saint.
“It was a very significant moment for our community and for our young people,” Msgr. Michael Antony Valungal, Auxiliary Bishop of Verapoly, told Fides. The archdiocese, of the Latin rite, is located in the state of Kerala, in southern India, where the Catholic presence is strong and represents more than 13% of the population, a percentage much higher than that of other Indian states.
The Church of St. Carlo Acutis is located in Pallikkara, in the Ernakulam district of Kochi, and "aims to be a parish focused on youth ministry." "Our local Church," the bishop stated, "hopes that St. Carlo's life will inspire young people seeking to combine spirituality and modern technology; the new church should give new impetus to this journey." Regarding Acutis, he added, "we are impressed by his extraordinary love for the Eucharist, which he lived intensely and which he also knew how to transmit through the web."
Regarding the situation of Indian youth, Bishop Valungal stated: "Our young people are very active. They live in a cultural, social, and professional context marked by new technologies; they are digital natives, and in this context, we hope that Acutis can be an inspiration for them. The Italian saint reminds them that holiness is possible today." The auxiliary bishop is intimately familiar with the youth situation, having served as parish priest, director of the St. John Minor Seminary in Kakkanad, and spiritual director of the St. Joseph Pontifical Seminary in Alwaye, in the same archdiocese of Verapoly.
The parish priest of the church, Fr. Sojan Micheal, reported that devotion to the young saint is already widespread among the local faithful. "People pray the novena dedicated to St. Carlo, and many present requests for intercession, especially to entrust him with the future of young people or their difficulties. St. Carlo is already an example for Indian youth and a reference for all of us," he stated.
The community of Verapoly has around 370,000 Catholics spread across 183 parishes, within a territory with 3.8 million inhabitants.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides, 10/9/2025)
Archdiocese of verapoly
