Meanwhile in Rome: Two Rad Dudes Just Got Made Saints

So while some of us were arguing about whether we should trade Troy for Florida in the SEC, my fellow Catholics over in Rome went and made two more saints today: Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Carlo Acutis (1991–2006): Italian teenager, soccer player, gamer, internet geek. Built websites cataloguing miracles instead of chasing TikTok clout. Died of leukemia at 15. They call him the “patron saint of the internet.” Try finding a Baptist youth group kid today doing anything besides Fortnite and “relevant” sermons with skinny-jeans pastors.

Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925): Outdoorsman, climber, skier, hunter, well-connected, basically frat star energy. Only difference—he spent his time serving the poor and living with discipline instead of drinking Natty Light on the Strip. Died at 24 from polio he caught while helping the sick. Compare that to the average non-denom mega-church worship leader who gets winded walking to his F-150 carrying a to-go cup from Canes.

Why should anybody here care?

Manhood. These guys weren’t fragile “spiritual influencers.” They were men. Athletes, outdoorsmen, grit. Try finding that example in your average praise-band-and-fog-machine church.

Counter-culture. Instead of “be yourself,” “you do you,” and “Jesus loves your truth,” these two actually lived like sacrifice and discipline mattered. Imagine that.

Role Models. Say what you will about Catholics (and most of y’all will), at least they’re elevating young men who stood for something. Meanwhile in the South, we get LifeWay selling another “Duck Dynasty Bible” and youth pastors doing trust falls at Six Flags.

You don’t have to buy the incense, rosaries, or papal hats—but you gotta admit: in a time where most churches are bending the knee to culture, Rome just dropped two legit examples of masculine, counter-cultural faith.

Question is: would the average SEC Protestant even recognize it, or would they dismiss it because it didn’t come with a PowerPoint sermon and an altar call to “Just As I Am”?