Beatrice Stanford was eagerly anticipating her spring 2026 study abroad at Christendom College’s Rome campus. But God had other plans.
“Due to too many girls applying, I was one of four girls selected out of a randomized lottery to be moved to the fall,” she said. Not long after, Stanford heard the news that Pope Leo XIV scheduled the canonizations of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati for Sept. 7, four days after Christendom students would arrive in Rome. “What better way to kick off a semester like that than by having the honor of attending the canonizations of St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati?” she said.
Stanford, a junior philosophy major, was one of 50 Christendom students who attended the joint canonizations. But they weren’t the only diocesan pilgrims in the crowd.
Monica Hortobagyi Siniff and John Siniff, parishioners of All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, fostered a family devotion to Acutis and Frassati with their boys Sebastian, 11; Luke, 9; and Michael, 6. When the pope announced the canonizations June 13, Monica leapt into action. “I jumped online and made the arrangements within an hour of the announcement,” she said. “There was never even a consideration of only going as a couple,” John added. “These saints speak to this young generation in a special way, and our boys needed to be there to experience it.”
The day of the canonizations, the Christendom students and the Siniffs woke up early to battle the ever-growing line for security checks outside St. Peter’s Square. “It took about three hours to move a football field,” Monica said.
But the Holy Spirit was present amid the chaos, according to John. “Because we were all in such close quarters, we struck up a conversation with one of the leaders, a woman from Bavaria. She shared the story of her 6-year-old son who had been injured badly while falling off a trampoline,” he said. “His skull had been fractured and he had lost hearing permanently, according to the doctors’ prognosis,” Monica said. “She led a prayer campaign asking for Blessed Carlo’s intercession and within a week of the accident, the woman (said her) son was fully healed.”
Hours later, the Christendom students were fortunate enough to find seats. While they waited, Stanford soaked up her surroundings. “Sitting down — at long last — in my seat and staring at the tapestries of St. Carlo and St. Pier Giorgio, who were staring right back at me. I will always remember feeling this in my heart: I am walking on hallowed ground,” she said.
Junior philosophy major John Fowler said that the moment Pope Leo appeared, the atmosphere instantly changed. “Everyone was super tired because we had gotten in line around 5 a.m. But as soon as we saw him, everyone forgot their exhaustion and went crazy. There was a buzz once that happened, and it never went away,” he said.
Sebastian Siniff agreed. “When we finally saw ‘Papa Leon’ come out, you could hear everyone losing their minds,” he said. “When the pope announced that (Acutis and Frassati) were canonized, you could hear a collective roar around the square. You realized how much this meant to everyone and how much they love these two saints.”
The pilgrims all witnessed the reaction of Antonia Salzano Acutis, Carlo’s mother, following the canonization. “Right after St. Carlo Acutis was canonized, they showed his mom on the screen, and everyone cheered for her. It was unreal,” Fowler said.
The two saints lived nearly a century apart, but their canonizations unite young Catholics in a unique way, according to Stanford. “Their joint canonization has formed them into a spiritual brotherhood — a brotherhood whose qualities all people can benefit from emulating, in particular the youth and young men of our communities,” she said.
The young saints’ example is inspiring for adults, too, Monica said. In the moments before the Mass, “strangers around us lovingly took care of my son, who was a bit overwhelmed by the huge crowds and intense sun; the pilgrims behind us shared an extra baseball cap to give him some shade and showed compassion to him throughout the Mass,” she said. “You could feel adults delighting in the faith of the youth and going out of their way to encourage them in their pursuit of holiness.”
Her son Sebastian agreed. “I think Carlo shows that you don’t have to try and fit in. Be yourself,” he said. “He didn’t try and fit in and look where it got him: He’s a saint and he has 500 million followers.”
