SANTEE — “Blessed Carlo Acutis Hall” is no more.
The 2,500-square-foot youth and young adult ministry center that Guardian Angels Parish built almost three years ago is now “Saint Carlo Acutis Hall,” renamed in anticipation of the upcoming canonization of its namesake.
Blessed Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who used his computer savvy to spread devotion to the Eucharist before his death from leukemia in 2006, had been set to be canonized April 27. But, with the death of Pope Francis on April 21, it has been postponed.
“I remember when we put the sign up,” Ayla Dias, the parish’s former youth and young adult ministry coordinator, said before an April 2 youth group meeting. “We put ‘Blessed’ up there and we were like, ‘Oh, man, one day we’re going to have to change this, hopefully.’”
“It’s just amazing and surreal that that time has come,” she said.
Dias added that the significance of officially declaring 15-year-old Carlo Acutis to be among the saints in Heaven is “definitely not lost on the kids” who gather in the building named after him.
Ava Kelly, a 19-year-old member of Guardian Angels’ youth group, called it “fascinating to see someone from our day and age become a saint, because people don’t usually think a saint can be from the present day and only from years and years ago.”
Brissia Mendoza Trujillo, 17, described the hall’s namesake as “a highly inspirational individual” and said that “his love for God is something I hope to learn from.”
Isaac Deken, who has served as the parish’s coordinator of youth and young adult ministry since last year, said that having a parish building named after Carlo Acutis offers the opportunity “to talk about what a young saint looks like and how a young person can use the things that they’re interested in to grow closer to God … and to help others grow closer to God.”
Anna Leonhardt, a 22-year-old member of the parish’s young adult group, said that the upcoming canonization “has created a wave of excitement through everyone in the parish.”
“For the youth,” she said, “hearing that a soon-to-be saint played video games and enjoyed some of the same things they do, like Pokemon and soccer, has sparked a new interest in our faith among them.”
Though its name has changed, Saint Carlo Acutis Hall’s mission remains the same: to provide a dedicated space where youth and young adults can grow in faith and fellowship.
The hall exudes a youth-friendly atmosphere, complete with a sofa, a cardboard cut-out of Jesus standing beside it, and foosball, air hockey, ping pong, shuffleboard and pool tables.
A framed artwork of Carlo Acutis hangs on the wall near the entrance. In late March, a tear-away “Countdown to Canonization” was placed beside it, fueling excitement as the big day drew near.
“It’s important … for our young people to meet and to gather in a space that feels welcoming to them, that they can see their place in the Church,” Deken said.
Guardian Angels broke ground on the building in September of 2021. It was dedicated in July of the following year.
Prior to the hall’s existence, Leonhardt said that the parish’s youth and young adults had met in the parish’s social hall.
“Often, we would find ourselves needing to relocate halfway through an activity because the room had been double-booked,” she recalled.
Tammy Mansir, the parish’s director of faith formation, said that the meeting space in the social hall was shared with “several” other groups, including the Knights of Columbus, the Women’s Guild and Alcoholics Anonymous.
“Sharing facilities with adult groups often made it difficult for our youth to feel a true sense of belonging,” she said. “A dedicated space is essential for young people to feel that the church is not just a place they visit, but a home that welcomes and values them.”
Dias said that the youth, who had longed for “a space of their own,” were the impetus behind Saint Carlo Acutis Hall. They were “at the forefront of this whole project” and “did a lot” to make it a reality, she said, including filming a video for “Giving Tuesday” on the empty dirt lot where the hall stands today and assisting in various ways, from fundraising to painting.
Father André Ramos, pastor, recommended naming the hall after Acutis.
“I knew he would be a contemporary inspiration for youth,” he said. “I said ‘yes’ to the construction under the condition of involving Carlo’s youthful saintliness.”
Currently, Saint Carlo Acutis Hall is the meeting place for several groups of younger parishioners.
A junior high youth group meets every Wednesday, a high school youth group every Sunday, a young adult group twice a month on Thursdays, and a confirmation preparation class for high schoolers twice monthly on Monday evenings.
“All these are growing ministries,” Deken said. He noted that, within most of the groups, the current members “tend towards the young side of things,” meaning that it will be years before they age out of the group.
For example, he said, the young adult group is composed primarily of 18- to 21-year-olds, and most of the high school youth group members are in the lower grades.
Deken said that there are active Catholic clubs at nearby West Hills and Santana high schools, which he expects will generate further growth in Guardian Angels Parish’s programs.
The hall also has served as a venue for various social events for youth and young adults, such as movie and game nights, as well as for the summer Vacation Bible School, which is led by junior high and high school youth group members for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Mansir said that the building has been “transformative in how we engage with our young people.”
“The space has become a sanctuary where youth and young adults can grow in their faith, build authentic relationships, and express themselves creatively,” she said.
“It’s just become a common place where the kids can come and gather, and play games, and hang out, and be with one another,” said Dias, who stepped down as youth and young adult ministry coordinator in August of 2022, the month after the hall was dedicated, but continues to serve as a volunteer with the junior high youth group.
She said, “I’m a firm believer that the environment that our kids are in really does impact the growth of their faith and the comfort that they feel to be able to talk about their faith and interact with each other and with us.”
The youth themselves seem to agree.
“Our youth program is so blessed to be able to practice and grow in our faith in a fun and engaging space,” said Chloe Hernandez, 16, a member of the high school youth group.
Fourteen-year-old Gabby Collins said that “it feels like such a holy place, and it is filled with holy and blessed memories.”
Adelyne Russell, 13, likes that “there’s a lot of space” and that the community that gathers there is “really positive and accepting.”
“When you walk in, everybody’s smiling and everyone’s happy to be here,” she said.
Mia Sanchez, 14, also praised the “good, spacious area” that the parish has provided for her and other young parishioners.
Emmalynn Sales-Mensch, also 14, said that she and her fellow youth group members “wouldn’t even know each other” if it weren’t for Saint Carlo Acutis Hall.
“We all come together here,” she said, “because we all go to different schools.”
Thanks to the construction of “a dedicated spot for the youth and young adults,” Leonhardt said, “The youth and young adults feel more welcomed, appreciated and seen within the parish.”
She said that it’s also had the effect of making “the community connection between all age groups stronger.”
For Deken, Saint Carlo Acutis Hall shows that Guardian Angels Parish is walking the walk when it comes to youth and young adult ministry.
“For churches that are wanting to reach the young people, wanting to attract families, wanting to share the Gospel,” he said, “they need to make sure that it’s high on their list of priorities, that they’re dedicating resources towards that – prayer resources, financial resources, staff resources.”
“It’s great to say that you want the young people there,” he said, “but to really make a space for them and set up an environment that’s welcoming is really important.”
Deken expressed hope that the building will have a long future, “impacting generations of faith.”
“I hope this is a place where Catholic parents bring their kids one day and say, ‘This is where I had my youth group.’”
