Eucharistic hard drive reliquary for Carlo Acutis becomes pilgrimage magnet
Wolfsberg Parish
Reliquary designed by artist reminiscent of hard drive and also references the Eucharist
According to the Wolfsberg Parish, St. Mark's Church in the Carinthian town has become a "new point on the map of pilgrimage sites in Austria," where a first-degree relic of Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) has been permanently on display since April 2023. The "hard drive reliquary" was designed by the Polish artist Mariusz Drapikowski and symbolizes the life and piety of the young Italian, who will be canonized by Pope Leo XIV in Rome on September 7. Wolfsberg is thus "part of an international network of places of veneration for Carlo Acutis," according to a text published Thursday by Parish Priest Krzysztof Kranicki
Acutis, who died in Italy at the age of 15, developed a deep connection to the Eucharist despite his early death, which he described as "my highway to heaven," the statement states. In addition to his testimony of faith, he was also an avid computer programmer who created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles worldwide. This is also reflected in the artistic concept of the reliquary: It formally resembles a hard drive with Christ as the central connection and life centre.
The reliquary combines three central elements: a white Host, the cross, and the hair relic ("ex capillis") enclosed in a capsule. His devotion to the Eucharist and the Cross of Christ is emphasized as the center of his faith, with reference to computer technology. "At the same time, it is a picture of today's world, which is connected online – and in which these means should not serve division and hatred, but dialogue and mutual connection. In this digital world, God should take center stage, according to the words of Saint Augustine: 'When God comes first, everything else falls into place,'" the explanatory text reads.
The relic was received in April 2023 by young people from Wolfsberg during a solemn service in Assisi, where Carlo Acutis is laid to rest in a sarcophagus in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. According to the parish, visitor interest in the relic in Wolfsberg remains constant. People come daily to pray and reflect before the reliquary.
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