Over these past weeks, the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition has been quietly making its way through our Diocese, inviting schools, parishes, families and communities to pause before one of the deepest mysteries of our faith: Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.
What began in New Plymouth and Stratford has continued through Whanganui, Hawke’s Bay and Palmerston North. In each place, people have been invited not only to learn about Eucharistic miracles, but to be drawn into encounter with the One who gives Himself to us in the Eucharist. The earlier Tūmanako article named this journey well: this is not simply a programme moving from place to place. It is a pilgrimage of encounter. A Journey to the Heart: Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition & St Carlo Relic Mission – Tūmanako.
Now the invitation grows even stronger.
From Wednesday 10 June to Saturday 13 June, our Diocese will welcome the relic of St Carlo Acutis to the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Palmerston North, with opportunities for Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, relic veneration, talks, school visits, the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition, and prayer. The Relic Mission Programme also includes a special Encounter Night on Friday 12 June, especially for young people, with pizza, a talk on St Carlo’s “5 Steps to Being a Saint”, worship, Adoration and relic veneration.
St Carlo has captured the imagination of so many because his life feels close to our own time. He was a teenager who loved computers, video games, friends, animals and sport. He was also deeply in love with Jesus in the Eucharist. He went to Mass, spent time in Adoration, prayed the Rosary, went to Confession, cared for the poor, and used his gifts in technology to help others discover Eucharistic miracles.
Carlo shows us that holiness is not distant. It is not only for another age, another country, or another kind of person. Holiness is possible here. It is possible now. It is possible for children, teenagers, parents, grandparents, priests, teachers, workers, students and families.
On 7 September 2025, Pope Leo XIV canonised Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, holding them up as young witnesses who invite us to lift our lives towards God and become “masterpieces” of holiness, service and joy. A Saint for Our Time: Carlo Acutis Canonization 2025 – Tūmanako
This is why St Carlo’s visit to our Diocese matters. His relic does not point to Carlo as an end in himself. It points us to Jesus. It reminds us that the saints are alive in Christ and that they intercede for us. It reminds us that God works through real people, real bodies, real lives, and real love. The resource being prepared for our Diocese explains that relics are not magic charms or lucky objects. They are signs of communion with the saints and reminders that ordinary people who love Jesus deeply can become saints too.
As we prepare to welcome St Carlo’s relic, we are invited to prepare our hearts.
The Diocese is praying a novena to St Carlo from Tuesday 2 June to Wednesday 10 June, the day the relic arrives. Each day is guided by Carlo’s own words, including:
“Not me, but God.”
“Always be united with Jesus, that is my life’s plan.”
“The Eucharist is my highway to Heaven.”
The novena can be prayed alone, as a family, in a classroom, with a parish group, or with a youth group. It is a simple way to ask for grace and to allow Carlo to lead us closer to the Lord he loved.
We also have a special gift to share.
Friends of St Carlo Acutis Australia (Home | St Carlo Australia) have generously made available a 50% discount for individuals, families, or groups under 30 people to watch a St Carlo film resource through Credo. For just $5, viewers receive 30 days of access.
To access it:
Go to the Credo access page https://go.watchcredo.com/access
Enter code: ETTQA9WT
This is something simple everyone can share. Send it to a family. Share it with a youth group. Watch it with your children. Offer it to a class, a parish team, a small group, or a friend who is curious. St Carlo’s witness is especially powerful because it is so accessible. He helps us speak about faith, holiness, the Eucharist and heaven in a way that feels real and close.
During the Relic Mission, there will also be a range of St Carlo books, medals, holy cards and other devotional items available for purchase. These are a beautiful way to continue the encounter beyond the visit itself, to learn more about St Carlo’s life, and to share his witness with children, young people, families, friends and parish communities.
Come to the Cathedral. Bring your family. Invite your parish. Encourage your school. Share the film. Pray the novena. Visit the exhibition. Come to Mass. Spend time before Jesus in Adoration and venerate the relic.
And come with an open heart.
Perhaps through this young saint, many in our Diocese will discover again that Jesus is not far away. He is near. He is present. He is waiting for us in the Eucharist.