Sainthood is possible for our young people

By ADAM GANUCHEAU
For The Catholic Week
While ministering to young people and their families, there has been an unexpected but enjoyable aspect that I have been reflecting on lately: generational research and insight. I am not sure if I would have been interested in something so sociological if I was not active in ministering to a certain generation, while knowing my own generation, and appreciating the parents’ and other adults’ generation. 
We know that cultural events can define generations. As a millennial, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, defined my generation — we knew where we were, we remember (although vaguely) the time before, but we know the changes in safety and precaution that followed. I think it is safe to say that 2020 was a generationally defining year for Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012. 
Beyond major events, there are other elements that can define generations. Elements of popular culture, such as music, movies and television shows, can unite those of a certain generation. One generation remembers clearly the cliffhanger ending of “Who Shot JR?” while another recalls the summer of the mega hit, the Macarena. 
Even technology and toys can be considered in this idea of generational differences. Growing up, I remember our computer lab at school having DOS programs, but around middle school, we were introduced to Microsoft 95 and this new thing called the Internet. It seems complicated now, the multistep process we had to take to get onto Netscape, or later AOL on disc. My kids will never know a time when the Internet was not at their fingertips, and they will never experience that forgotten, but familiar, chorus of a modem dialing up the Internet.
The best generational research is not necessarily faith-based. In other words, it does not take the next step, which is to state there are certain experiences that saints of a particular generation had that other saints do not. We have saints who lived through the Dark Ages, the Renaissance and the Reformation. 
Some day, hopefully soon, we will have a canonized saint who played PlayStation, wore Nikes and used the Internet. Blessed Carlo Acutis, who was canonized last October, could become the first millennial saint recognized by the Church. Born in 1991, Carlo had a deep love for the Eucharist and created a website cataloging Eucharistic miracles around the world. He died of leukemia at the age of 15. 
Think about that — someone who would have been a young adult today, in 2021, is on the road to canonization. There could be relic Pokemon cards. Honestly, when I am picking up Pokemon cards around my house, I am not thinking that I could be touching future relics, but if we start to consider that each of us is called to be a saint, then why would we not consider that our daily experiences or the items we interact with could become saintly stories or relics?
There will be a saint who knew TikTok dances. There will be a saint who used GIFs and emojis in text messages. There will be a saint who lived through COVID-19. There will be a saint who had a favorite Netflix show. Why not us? Why not our young people?
Blessed Carlo Acutis shows us that sainthood is possible for our young people. They can achieve sainthood, with their resiliency and their compassion. They can achieve sainthood, with their empathy and acceptance. They can achieve sainthood, through holy families and good models of discipleship. They can be the saints our world needs them to become.
In this Year of the Eucharist and the Parish, we celebrate the Eucharist, which unites us in a shared meal. We celebrate that God gathers His people in parish communities. Let us be challenged this year to see our parishes as communities where saints are formed. There may be times when our parish excels at leading us to sainthood, but there may be times when our parish struggles to do so. Let us be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Let us contribute to our parish’s saint-making enterprises. 
There will be saints who are Boomers, Gen X, Millennial, Gen Z and even Gen Alpha, those born after 2012 to today. Let us walk toward sainthood together, so that our holiness may inspire the generations to follow.
— Adam Ganucheau is the Director of the Office of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. He may be emailed at [email protected]
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