Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish (OLMC) in Nutley unveiled its new statue of St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony that attracted Catholics from across the New York metropolitan area on July 25.
The gathering—which included a busload of visitors from Manhattan—watched as Bishop Manuel A. Cruz blessed the marble statue outside the church. The bishop also celebrated a Mass in honor of Acutis, who cataloged over 100 Eucharistic miracles on a website he created before his 2006 death from leukemia at 15.
In his homily, Bishop Cruz praised the tech-savvy teen for using the tools of his generation to benefit the Kingdom of God. He also heralded Acutis as someone who demonstrated that one does not need to be a priest to be holy.
“Holiness is for everyone,” said Bishop Cruz, the Archdiocese of Newark’s regional bishop for Essex County. “It is the universal vocation of every baptized Christian.”
Guests are always welcome to visit the statue, which stands under a heart-shaped arch filled with brightly colored flowers. While at the parish, they can pray before a first-class relic of Acutis, which is on permanent display at OLMC. Visitors also can also explore an exhibit depicting the miracles catalogued by the young saint, which is set up in the parish hall.
To learn more about Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, visit www.olmc-nutley.org.
About the Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark serves 1.3 million Catholics across northern New Jersey’s Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties. Led by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., the sixth archbishop of Newark, the Archdiocese includes 211 parishes, 64 Catholic schools and numerous missions and ministries committed to faith, education and social service. For more information, visit www.rcan.org.
