A teenager who died of leukemia in 2006 will become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint on September 7, Pope Leo XIV announced Friday.

Carlo Acutis was initially set to be canonized on April 27, however, the death of Pope Francis caused it to be postponed, the Associated Press reported.

Acutis passed away in Italy following a short battle with leukemia, and although he enjoyed normal teenager activities, he taught catechism and worked with homeless people. He also created a website to inform visitors of over 100 Eucharistic Miracles throughout the centuries the church had recognized.

The young man is entombed in Assisi where pilgrims can view the glass coffin and see Acutis, who is dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans.

Video footage shows images and clips from the young man’s life, and EWTN said the late Pope Francis called Acutis “a model for young people of the 21st century”:

Pope Leo said Pier Giorgio Frassati and Acutis will be canonized together, according to Vatican News.

“The canonizations of the two young saints—one from the early twentieth century, the other the first twenty-first-century saint—have been greatly anticipated due to the great devotion among the faithful,” the outlet said.

When speaking of her son, Acutis’s mother said, “Definitely, Carlo was an ordinary child like everybody. He used to play, to have friends, to go to school. But his extraordinary was the fact that he opened the door of his heart to Jesus, and he put Jesus at the first place in his life.”

In May 2024, the Catholic News Agency gave more details about Acutis and said he was never afraid to defend the teachings of the church.

“Many of Carlo’s high school classmates remember Carlo giving a passionate defense for the protection of life from the moment of conception when there was a classroom discussion about abortion,” the article read.