ROMERO: Answering an unexpected call

A tapestry depicting St. Carlo Acutis hangs from the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica during a canonization Mass at the Vatican Sept. 7, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
A few weeks before the Vigilia Pastoral, I received a phone call that I did not expect.

“Hi, I saw the flyer for your event on Facebook and noticed St. Carlo was on it. I don’t speak Spanish, but I translated the information and was wondering if you would like me to bring the relic of St. Carlo Acutis to your event. It belongs to the president of our movement, who is friends with Carlos’ mom.” 

On the other end of the line was a member of the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement who, by God’s grace, was able to bring the relic of St. Carlo Acutis to our Vigilia Pastoral. That simple phone call was just the first step toward a moment of grace. 

When I shared the news with my director, she was excited and said, “Well, now that we have a relic of St. Carlo, it would be great if we had one of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati,” since both were the patron saints of this Vigilia. My immediate reaction was excitement and fear. Where was I going to find a relic of St. Pier? 

She immediately said, “Call Father Luke.” I reached out to Father Luke Millette, judicial vicar for the Archdiocese. He answered, and to my surprise, he did indeed have a relic of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati. Once again, God was building something together that we could not have planned ourselves.

What struck me most was this: the Vigilia Pastoral is our annual Hispanic Young Adult event, led by young adults for the entire community. It is an event in Spanish, and yet, the first movement of grace came from someone outside of that immediate circle, someone who stepped out of her comfort zone, crossed a language barrier, and simply said yes.

The Vigilia Pastoral took place on Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Catholic Charismatic Center, drawing more than 3,000 people throughout the 12-hour event. From the Sacrament of Reconciliation to the celebration of Holy Mass with Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, and into the overnight Eucharistic Adoration, the vigil became a powerful witness of faith.

This year’s theme, “Hágase tu voluntad” (Mt 6:10), invited our young adults to reflect on both their “little v” vocations, the universal call to holiness, and their “big V” vocation, a specific call to priesthood, religious life or marriage. It was a call to trust, surrender and take action without fear. 

In many ways, the story of the relics embodied that very message.

Both patron saints of our vigil were young men who lived their faith boldly and publicly. With his profound love for the Eucharist and his creative use of technology to evangelize, St. Carlo Acutis reminds young people that holiness is possible in our modern world. St. Pier Giorgio Frassati was also an example of surrender, pouring himself out in service to the poor and those in need. His life challenges us to step beyond what is comfortable and to live a faith that moves, gives and loves without reserve. 

Their relics at the vigil were more than prayerful symbols. They were sacred signs of real lives given completely to Christ, and reminders that we are part of something greater than ourselves. The communion of saints is not just an idea. It is a living reality, and that night, it felt present among us.

Throughout the 12 hours, young adults led every part of the vigil. They wrote the prayers, led the music, brought food to share and welcomed everyone who came through the doors. Priests heard confessions. Each person offered something, and together we gathered as one Body of Christ. The Vigilia is not only for young adults. It is for everyone. The Eucharist has no single language. We belong to one universal Church.

I know it is not always easy to step outside what feels familiar, our own circles, language groups, ministries and comfort zones. But that unexpected phone call reminded me that when we reach beyond those boundaries, the Body of Christ becomes clearer. What started as a Hispanic young adult vigil became a reflection of the universal Church.

As morning came and it was time for reposition led by Father Juan Pablo Orozco, CC, the whole sanctuary sang with one voice, Junto a Ángeles y Santos by Pablo Martínez. Some were tired. Some were still kneeling. But all of us shared a deep awareness that when we pray, “Hágase tu voluntad,” God answers, often in ways we do not expect. And sometimes, it begins with a simple phone call.

Thalia Romero is an associate director with the Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry.