This might be the first in the world.
From UCA News:
A Catholic Archdiocese in the southern Indian state of Kerala has consecrated a church dedicated to Carlo Acutis — the first in India, and perhaps the world — on the day the “millennial saint” was canonized by Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican.
The newly built church at Pallikkara in Ernakulam district was blessed by Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil on Sept. 7. It houses a relic (hair) of the English-born Italian teenager and has a capacity to accommodate some 600 people.
Father Mathew Kallinkal, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese, noted that local Catholics are continuously visiting the church to pray and seek the intercession of the teenage saint since its consecration.
“We never expected such crowds. It is a great honor for us to have the first church dedicated to the teenage saint in India, and perhaps in the world,” Kallinkal told UCA News on Sept. 9.
Archbishop Kalathiparambil said the newly built church was dedicated to the teenage saint “not only to honor him but also to encourage our youth to emulate him in their life.”
The prelate termed the canonization of a teenager as “a great encouragement to youths” who, in the midst of modernity, can achieve great things, including sainthood.
Kallinkal noted that the church’s consecration coincided with the canonization of the new saint in the Vatican, fulfilling the spiritual demands of the local Catholics.
“We started the construction of the church much before the canonization of the teenage saint, and it was ready for blessing in April. We waited for his canonization to dedicate it to him,” noted Kallinkal.
