Bl. Carlo Acutis finds new home in Killarney

A relic of Bl. Carlo Acutis has found a new home in the Franciscan Friary, Killarney. The permanent display was unveiled by Bishop Ray Browne on Sunday, December 1 and is open for visits each day from 7am to 7pm.

Bro. Pat Lynch ofm, the Friary Guardian told The Irish Catholic that acquiring the relic was not previously advertised, “because I didn’t want to interfere with the Dominicans’ celebration”, who received the relic’s visit in November.

Bro. Lynch said he “applied for the relic well over a year ago. I applied for a first-class relic for the Friary and it is a fairly long procedure.” The Brother had the approval “for about two months now and I just held it until after the Dominican function.”

“I think the fact that [it is] at a Franciscan church and he [Bl. Acutis] had great devotion to St Francis and he’s buried in Assisi about … eight minutes’ walk from the tomb of St Francis … in many ways [Bl. Acutis] was comparable to Francis because he had a great love for creation and for animals, and he was very good to the poor.”

The Guardian said Bl Acutis’ family has a holiday home in Assisi, “so they spent a lot of time during his holidays in Assisi and I think he requested to be buried in Assisi.” This connection between Bl. Carlo Acutis and St Francis was what sparked in Bro. Lynch the idea to request for the relic.

Now that Bl. Acutis is about to become a saint, the Franciscans in Killarney are “delighted” and “there’s great excitement around.”