ANOTHER HOLY TEEN

 

Bl. Carlos Acuti is scheduled to be canonized Sunday, April 27, during the Jubilee of Teenagers, becoming the first millennial saint and a model of holiness for young people in the digital age.

At least six other teens are also being considered for canonization. Because April seems to be teen month, I will present these young people, who are certainly role models for today's youth, especially in their suffering.  SERVANT OF GOD PIERANGELO CAPUZZIMATI, who from the age of 14 suffered from leukemia, lived a life of strong faith, trusting in the Lord. He was born in Taranto in 1990 and grew up in a loving family in Faggiano, in the province of Taranto in the Apulia region of southeast Italy.

His sister Sara was born in 1995 and they were very close, being raised in a loving family. Pierangelo had a calm and thoughtful nature and surprised family and teachers with his insatiable thirst for knowledge. 

(Both photos with his sister Sara).

 After finishing elementary school, in 2001 he enrolled in the “Alfieri” middle school in Taranto, which he attended with great commitment and excellent results, and began to cultivate a love for reading. In 2003 he received Holy Confirmation.

In the summer of 2004, Pierangelo fell ill with leukemia. His life and that of his family were completely turned upside down. Enrolled in the fourth year of high school at the Liceo Classico “Archita” in Taranto, he was forced by constant hospitalizations and long periods of convalescence to attend sporadically, while always keeping in touch with classmates and teachers.

He studied at home with the help of a Latin and Greek teacher, teaching himself the other subjects. In the very short periods in which he was able to attend, he did his homework in class, and was questioned: the results left his classmates and teachers speechless. Advancing, with full marks to the next year, during the summer of 2005, he underwent a bone marrow transplant. The operation seemed to have been a success, but required a long convalescence that did not allow him to attend the next school year.

One would expect a normal teen to plunge into despair, yet his illness only intensified his spiritual life. He spent much time in prayer as well as his studies, and contemplating the beauty of nature. He had a great passion for the history of the Church and loved the saints, who inspired him. He saw his disease as a gift, giving him more time to spend with his friend, Jesus.

In August 2007 he underwent a second transplant: same procedure, same protocol and same commitment to not miss the school year. Studying and reading and praying filled his days. Unfortunately, the disease got the upper hand and on April 30, 2008 Pierangelo died. He would have turned eighteen in June.

Pierangelo was animated by an immense faith, despite having grown up in a family environment rather indifferent to religion. His illness and suffering were the humus within which the Holy Spirit spoke to his parents and the son become the "father" of his elders. 

His statements on illness as a gift, on the limitation of the human mind in understanding divine plans, on the importance of belonging to the Church and of common prayer that he spoke of in the last days of his life, were an example to all.