CHAPTER ONE
The Beginnings: Normal and Holy
Carlo’s earthly journey began in London on 3rd May 1991. His partly English father, Andrea Acutis, and Italian mother, Antonia Salzana, had business ventures in London and lived at 4 Gledhow Gardens, SW5. The Acutis family were, and still are, owners of a large insurance company, Vittoria Assicurazioni S.p.A. On 18th May, 1991, Carlo began his life as a child of God through the sacrament of Baptism at the Church of Our Lady of Dolours on Fulham Road in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, a parish run by the Servite Order (the Servants of Mary) and dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. He was given the name Carlo Maria Antonio. “Carlo” because that was his grandfather’s name. Yet, from that moment, St Charles Borromeo, the holy Archbishop of Milan, became his protector and patron. As he grew up, Carlo developed a special love for the Virgin Mary and St Anthony of Padua. Both sets of grandparents came for the Baptism of the first-born child, as did Carlo’s great grandmother, Adriana. His godparents were his grandfather, Carlo Acutis, and his maternal grandmother, Luana. 15
b. Blessed Carlo Acutis B776.indd 15
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