Carlo Acutis had strong faith and a weakness for Nutella

Probably the most renowned millennial of all times is Blessed Carlo Acutis, an Italian native who passed away from leukemia at the age of 15 and was beatified by Pope Francis in October 2020. He earned his amazing global attraction through his devout Catholic faith, his daily Mass daily attendance, and his technical skills at the computer that helped him build a website categorizing all the miracles attributed to Catholic saints throughout the ages. 

So prominent is Blessed Carlo that relics from his body, including pieces of hair and remnants of his heart, have toured the world several times and have been placed in reliquaries in various parishes. Authors, including his mother, have written biographies. Magazines and newspapers have published stories about him. Facebook pages around the world are dedicated to him. Several groups have established links to Blessed Carlo, including websites, foundations, a life-sized statue in Scotland, and a traveling photo exhibition of eucharistic miracle sites.

Patrick Brueggen, international coordinator of the Marian Catechist and the Real Presence of Christ Association, explains why Blessed Carlo is so remarkable. “At the age of 11 or 12, Carlo Acutis was a computer genius of his time, during the late 1990s and 2000s,” he says. “And during that time, the last four or five years, he became interested in miracles and was heartbroken that people did not believe in the Real Presence. So then he started to gather information of Vatican-approved miracles — there were none in book form — and that’s why he put them on electronic files and got approval to note all the Vatican-approved eucharistic miracles of the world.”

In his book Carlo Acutis: A Millennial in Paradise, Fr. Will Conquer writes of Blessed Carlo’s devotion to the Blessed Mother. He also notes how Carlo had a challenge to interact with his schoolmates and did not play sports. But his teachers and others found Carlo cheerful and kind. “What distinguished him, above all, was his smile,” one is quoted as saying. “Carlo smiled at life.”

Carlo loved food. “Carlo knew he wasn’t perfect, which included his struggle to eat in moderation…He was a magnaccione, as the Romans say—a big glutton,” writes Fr. Conquer. “His puffy cheeks gave it away. Nutella was his weakness.” But Carlo abstained from his food obsession, and as he grew older, he became slenderer. 

Yes, Nutella has its fans, and it is a delicious topping on ice cream, pancakes, and whatever else works with chocolate. Fortunately, homemade versions may even be more tempting than the commercial brand!

Homemade ‘Nutella’ (hazelnut cocoa spread) • serves 6

Homemade “Nutella” is a chocolate-based sauce composed of hazelnuts or filberts, chocolate, and other goodies recipe chefs may add. Fortunately, crushed hazelnuts are sold online, which eliminates the hassle of baking, peeling, and crushing them yourself. While making this version, you may need to add extra liquid such as milk or water to keep it from getting too thick.

Ingredients
2 cups crushed hazelnuts
8 oz dark semi-sweet
   chocolate, chopped 
   and melted
1 cup sweetened 
   condensed milk


¼ cup whole milk 
   (or more as needed)
2 tbsp unsweetened 
   cocoa powder
2 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp olive oil 
   (or more as needed) 

Directions
1. Put hazelnuts in food processor and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure all nuts are cut into tiny pieces. You may have to let the motor rest periodically.
2. With motor running, gradually add melted chocolate, two milks, cocoa powder, vanilla, and olive oil. Keep scraping down the sides as you process the mixture until well blended. If the mixture gets too thick, add extra milk and/or olive oil until smooth.
3. Remove mixture from processor bowl and let cool until ready to refrigerate or scoop over ice cream.