HAZLETON – On the weekend of the Third Sunday of Lent, hundreds of people in the greater Hazleton area encountered the story of a modern-day saint whose devotion to the Eucharist continues to inspire believers around the world.
Parishioners from the Hazleton Deanery and beyond were invited to visit Most Precious Blood Church March 7-9 to view an exhibit on Saint Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint to be canonized by the Catholic Church.
The traveling display, on loan from Malvern Retreat House in southeast Pennsylvania, features more than 100 Eucharistic miracles that Acutis researched and cataloged before his death from leukemia in 2006 at the age of fifteen.
Using his skills in computer programming, the Italian teenager designed a website to share the stories of these miracles – a project that continues to evangelize people today.
The exhibit was put on display as part of the Hazleton Deanery’s ‘Road to Resurrection’ initiative for Lent 2026 – a series of opportunities for the faithful to deepen their relationship with Christ during the Lenten season.
The ‘Road to Resurrection’ events began on March 5 with a Holy Hour at Saint John Bosco Church, where more than 300 people gathered in prayer with the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton.
For Father Anthony Generose, pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish, said the activities all came together as the result of a Spirit-led collaboration across the deanery.
“This has all come together by God’s grace and the Holy Spirit,” Father Generose said.
Father Generose said he was particularly touched by a video on Saint Carlo Acutis that was part of the exhibit.
“When you watch the video, you get to see this child that can connect with adults and with youth,” he explained. “I sat there and I wept. I’ve never had the experience of listening to the mother of a saint speak about her son and his friends and the adults that grew up with him in Italy.”
Parishioner Maureen Franzosa suggested bringing the exhibit to Hazleton after encountering it while visiting family near Philadelphia. Franzosa first experienced the display while visiting her granddaughter, who had been asked to reflect on Acutis as part of her Confirmation preparation.
“I walked in and got this serene feeling of peace,” Franzosa said. “I couldn’t believe everything that this young man, in his short life up to 15, had done to try to connect us to the Eucharist.”
She believes the young saint’s witness offers an important connection for youth today.
“He’s a millennial saint. I think he could speak to our youth who need some kind of connection today,” she added.
That same hope inspired members of the Our Lady of Peace Parish Vocation Ministry Team, who helped welcome visitors throughout the weekend.
“One of the target groups for us, as a vocation committee, is the young. We want to bring more teenagers back to the church,” parishioner Nicole Composto said.
As visitors moved from panel to panel, they encountered detailed accounts of Eucharistic miracles from around the world – events recognized by the Church as scientifically inexplicable signs connected to the Blessed Sacrament.
“The displays, the pictures, (they’re) all beautiful,” Composto expressed. “I didn’t realize how many Eucharistic miracles there were. It’s overwhelming to walk through and see how many.”
Judy Kotzer, 84, was also struck by the number of Eucharistic miracles.
“A lot of times we go to Communion and don’t really realize what is there,” she said. “But this really shows us.”