Blessed Carlo Acutis will be the first millennial saint – and, at age 15, one of the youngest – when he is canonized in 2025. Father Chris Alar, MIC, shares the story of his short but extraordinary life, and how Bl. Carlo is a great role model for our young people who are increasingly drawn away from the Catholic faith. Then hear the story of Mother Mary Veronica Fitch in Wisconsin, who uses her love of animals to help heal children and families.

In today’s Gospel (Luke 9:7–9), we hear of Herod’s confusion about Jesus: “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” Just as people in Herod’s day struggled to understand Christ, many in our own time wrestle with what it means to follow Him faithfully in society and politics.

January 1 is not just New Year’s Day; it’s also the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, a Holy Day of Obligation. Father Chris Alar, MIC, shows how the concept of Mary, Mother of God is revealed in Sacred Scripture, and how, by carrying  in her womb a divine Person, Mary contributed the genetic matter to the human form God took in Jesus Christ.