The city of Milan is the beautiful home of St. Carlo Acutis, the saint of the popular online display of Eucharistic miracles.
Recently the Archdiocese of Milan has officially opened another cause for beatification and canonization for millennial Marco Gallo, a 17-year-old who died in a fatal car crash in 2011.
This marks the initial stage of his cause, which will consist of researching his life to determine if he lived a life of "heroic virtue." Once that has been completed, the cause will be sent to the Vatican, where he could be declared "venerable."
At the moment he is only known as "Servant of God."
Who was Marco Gallo?
Born in 1994 in Chiavari, Italy, Marco was attracted to the Catholic faith at an early age and was part of the Communion and Liberation movement as a teenager.
In 2007 he attended the Don Gnocchi high school in Carate Brianza, outside of Milan. While there, Marco often tutored younger students, always ending with a short catechesis. He also spent time ministering to disabled elderly at the Don Orione Institute.
Marco loved sports and hiking in the mountains, and was popular among his peers for the Christian joy that he possessed.
In 2011, while driving to school, Marco was hit by a car and died instantly. What's interesting is that the night before the accident, he had written on the wall of his bedroom, next to the crucifix: "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"
It is a quote from Luke 24:5, and was seen at the time as prophetic. It was a consolation to his family and friends that he may now be living forever with God in Heaven.
The Archdiocese of Milan is currently compiling testimonies from those who knew him and are analyzing his writings to see if they can continue with this cause for canonization.
He is another example of a young person on fire with God's love, able to transform the world through his example.
