Recently canonized millennial St. Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) is often depicted wearing Nike shoes and dubbed the “saint in sneakers.”
Students at Westerville St. Paul the Apostle School will take after the young saint as they run in their tennis shoes across a newly renovated gym named in his honor.
The school recently transformed its “old gym” into the St. Carlo Acutis Discipleship Center.
“It’ll be a long-lasting legacy of St. Carlo looking over our school,” principal Andrea Pore said.
The Church’s first millennial saint, who died of leukemia at age 15, was canonized by Pope Leo IX in September. The devout Italian Catholic is not unlike teenagers today. He enjoyed video games and was buried in his Nikes and jeans.
Renovations to St. Paul’s old gym, which is used for sports and physical education classes for children in grades kindergarten through fourth grade, were completed earlier this school year.
A planning process began two years ago to remodel the space. It entailed a makeover complete with fresh flooring, wall paint, lighting and basketball hoops.
The school also has a “new” gym, the Klinger Center, used by students in upper grade levels.
Once renovations were complete in the old gym, the name “old” no longer fit. Pore said she and the parish’s pastor, Father Jonathan Wilson, agreed parishioners and school families should have a say in naming the facility.
A Google survey was sent to the St. Paul community during the summer. Participants were asked to vote on a name – whether a saint or virtue – reflecting St. Paul’s mission to call, form and send disciples of Jesus Christ.
By the beginning of September, the school was ready to move forward with a decision.
“It was absolutely overwhelming how many of our parents and our parishioners said that it should be named after St. Carlo Acutis,” Pore recalled.
Perhaps by divine providence, the first event to be held in the renovated gym the first weekend of September was a relic of Carlo and a Eucharistic miracles exhibit, coinciding with his canonization. The exhibit showcased Eucharistic miracles documented on a website the millennial saint created.
“What was very interesting and providential, definitely with the Holy Spirit,” Pore added, “is the weekend that we were looking at the votes – because of the canonization of Carlo (on Sunday, Sept. 7) – we were having the ‘Miracles of the Eucharist’ exhibit on Friday for our school kids.”
The name for the new center was announced by Father Wilson on Friday, Sept. 5 during an all-school Mass. About 1,000 students and staff were present.
The pastor shared that not only would they venerate a relic of soon-to-be St. Carlo Acutis – their gym would bear his name.
“Our kids went crazy. They were so excited,” Pore recalled. “The fact that his relic was there that weekend was just beautiful – it was absolutely beautiful.”
For the announcement, students were asked to wear red with their uniforms. St. Carlo is often depicted wearing a polo shirt of the color.
Students were also given a prayer card that could be used while venerating Carlo’s relic.
The St. Carlo Acutis Discipleship Center opened its doors for parishioners to visit the exhibit and venerate the saint’s relic the weekend of Sept. 6-7.
The school’s principal estimated that approximately 3,500 individuals passed through the center that weekend.
“Our parents really were saying, our kids got so involved in this beautiful canonization of a saint that they could relate to, and it made our kids feel like they were part of the Universal Church,” she noted.
The discipleship center features the school’s new mission statement, rolled out at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year: St. Paul the Apostle exists to call, form and send disciples of Jesus Christ.
The school is currently working with a company to design various banners and signage for the center. It plans to incorporate a banner of St. Carlo and signs featuring a few of his quotes, estimated to be finished by January.