How the Saints Are Helping Me Raise Teenagers

Charisse Tierney shares how she came to realize that we have the whole communion of saints watching out for our kids.

It was my son’s 14th birthday, and we were reading about the first-ever millennial to be beatified. As we looked at the photos of Carlo Acutis’ recently exhumed body, my son was instantly struck to see a 15-year-old boy who looked much like himself. Dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie, Carlo looked as if he were sleeping peacefully, his Rosary held reverently in his hands.

As we read further, my son’s amazement grew when he realized that he was born the same year Carlo died from leukemia. Carlo was also known for his computer skills, using his knowledge to create a website that catalogued Eucharistic miracles from around the world.

“Whoa, that’s weird because I’m getting a computer for my birthday!” my son said.

Carlo’s body was also being displayed for veneration in Assisi, Italy. Our family attends St. Frances of Assisi parish.

It was as if Carlo and the Holy Spirit had collaborated to make sure my son recognized heavenly forces in motion. One of the stories in my son’s schoolbooks that afternoon even started with a story about an event on October 5 -- the same date as my son’s birthday.

I so often feel the weight of raising my teens as if it’s all on my shoulders. Too often I forget that none of what my kids do is within my power to control.

But my son’s Holy Spirit moment-filled birthday reminded me that there is no reason to feel hopeless, or helpless, or discouraged as I watch my children grow up and make decisions of their own.

We have the whole communion of saints watching out for our kids.

Somehow, Carlo Acutis reached out and related to my 14-year-old son in a way I never will. Carlo showed him that a modern teen can achieve sainthood. He showed him that technology can be used for great good. Carlo gave my son a lesson in holiness that far surpassed any of my preaching or encouragement.

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The communion of saints is a powerful weapon in our parenting arsenal. #catholicmom

The communion of saints is a powerful weapon in our parenting arsenal. They are more than willing to help our kids fight the battle between good and evil. We just have to trust in their wisdom.

Carlo Acutis is like a heavenly friend who knew just how to remind my son of the path he should be walking on his 14th birthday. And my son now has a renewed sense of awe and wonder for the mysterious expanse of his faith.

And that is something that only a saint could do.

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