10/10/2025
Happy (almost) feast of St. Carlo Acutis (October 12), who was just canonized last month!
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JOKE-OGRAPHY:
This cartoon's premise -- saints in heaven interceding at desks in the clouds like it's a wholesome little 9 to 5 job -- is based on the trailer for Tiny Saints' new animated show, which you can help fund now by going to their website right here! You've probably seen their cute little saint keychains and rosaries in gift shops, but this is a whole new way to enjoy your favorite saints. As of today there are about 13 days left to support their campaign, so give what you can!
For those who don't know, St. Carlo Acutis was born in London in 1991 and raised in Milan. Most of his family members were lapsed Catholics, but he showed an interest in the faith and learned about it from his Polish babysitter. He learned, he grew, and he shared his vibrant faith with his loved ones by word and action, inspiring family and friends to convert (or return) to Catholicism. He loved giving to the poor, standing up for the downtrodden, and using his talents to enrich others. Eventually, he fell ill with leukemia and offered his suffering to God before passing away in 2006 at only 15 years old. Despite being a 90's kid, his story is reminiscent of many older saints. He was canonized as an official saint in the Catholic Church in September of 2025 (and I actually got to attend his canonization Mass at the Vatican)! This October 12th marks his first feast day as an official saint, hence (in this cartoon) Mary's greeting in the first panel.
When Carlo was old enough to have a computer, he learned how to code and build websites. He built a website for his local church, then made websites to compile Marian apparitions and Eucharistic miracles to bring people closer the Jesus. As a saint, he's often depicted with a laptop, one of his many methods of evangelization.
As a 90's kid, Carlo played sports and videogames. One of the games he's said to have played is "Halo: Combat Evolved," a game about the space soldier, Master Chief, fighting the evil alien alliance, the Covenant. The Halo franchise became huge between 2001 and (at least) 2010, defining a generation of gamers. Despite it's special place in my heart, today's Halo media struggles to recapture the franchise's glory days, hence (in this cartoon) Mary's harsh appraisal of its modern relevance in the final panel.
Saintly intercessions (or the practice of asking saints to pray with you or on your behalf) goes back to the earliest days of Christianity. The practice is linked to the belief that the saints are still alive in God, and so, just like we ask our friends (who are alive on earth) to pray for us, we ask the saints (who are alive in heaven) to pray for us. Because Carlo was a gamer, in this cartoon, he's fielding a bunch of somewhat petty prayers from people who want him to ask God to help them beat a videogame. When he explains this to Mary, one might assume she'd have no clue what he's talking about, since she lived nearly two millennia before the first videogame was produced. However, as the most popular saint when it comes to intercessions, I'm sure Mary's picked up on some things.
