Historic St. Hedwig Church in Bucktown Celebrates Canonization of First Millennial Saint

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Bucktown · November 11, 2025

Bucktown's St. Hedwig Church hosted hundreds of joyful parishioners on Tuesday, November 4, as the community celebrated a special mass featuring a relic of Saint Carlo Acutis, recently canonized as the Catholic Church's first millennial saint. Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino traveled from Assisi, Italy, bringing a piece of the young saint's heart to share with Chicago's only parish named after Acutis.

The celebration featured vibrant festivities including performances by Mariachi Sirenas, an all-woman mariachi group, on the church steps as parishioners arrived. Inside the historic Renaissance Revival building, two 150-pound bronze busts of the saint were blessed during the service. Many attendees wore soccer jerseys in honor of Acutis, who was an avid soccer fan before his death from leukemia at age 15 in 2006.

"His influence lives on today in so many different ways as an example of how to live holiness for young people in today's world with all its different challenges," said Father Ed Howe, pastor of St. Carlo Acutis Parish, which includes St. Hedwig Church. The parish hopes this celebration will help connect younger generations to the community, as Acutis is widely considered the "patron saint of the internet" for his work creating websites about eucharistic miracles. Bucktown residents are invited to visit the church to view the new bronze busts and learn more about this unique connection between their historic neighborhood parish and modern-day spirituality.

Sources:
1. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-catholic-church-relic-soon-to-be-millennial-saint/
2. https://chicago.suntimes.com/religion/2025/09/07/carlo-acutis-canonization-bucktown-parish-catholic-religion
3. https://www.chicagocatholic.com/chicagoland/-/article/2025/07/23/archbishop-from-assisi-brings-carlo-acutis-relic-to-chica-1