SHAWANO, WI – A brand new playground has opened at Sacred Heart Catholic School, and it comes with a special distinction: it is now dedicated to Saint Carlo Acutis, the newly canonized Catholic teenager often called “God’s Influencer.”
“He was a fifteen-year old boy, who died of leukemia,” Gary Cumberland, Sacred Heart Catholic School Principal said. “Prior to that, he was just a regular kid.”
Acutis was canonized in Rome on Sept. 7, 2025, used the power of digital media to share his faith with the world. He created online platforms to highlight Eucharistic miracles and inspire devotion.
The $100,000 playground was officially installed on September 8, with fresh wood chips laid the following day.
“The playground we had out there was 30 plus-years old”, Cumberland said. “It was a starting to crack and we felt we needed something different for the kids.”
That started three years of work by staff and volunteers working together.
“Autumne Gee did a lot of work to make this happen,” Cumberland said. He said there was also a lot of support from parishioners at the church.
On the day of the dedication, Fr. Edward Looney led a blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking the official opening of the playground to students.
“This playground really is a sign of hope and joy in our parish community and our school community,” Fr. Looney said during the ribbon cutting.
The dedication makes Sacred Heart Catholic School the first school or parish in the Diocese of Green Bay to name a space after Saint Carlo Acutis, and one of the first worldwide.
“He spent a lot of time providing the Eucharist to young people and talking to them about the value of the Eucharist,” Cumberland added.
Families, staff, and students gathered to celebrate the milestone, which organizers described as both joyful and historic.
Carlo Acutis, an English-born Italian teenager, was canonized in Rome on September 7, 2025. Known for his devotion to the Eucharist and his creative use of digital media to share his faith, Acutis became the first millennial saint. Cumberland said in many ways you could think of him as just a regular boy.
A dedication plaque will soon be installed near the playground, serving as a lasting reminder of Saint Carlo’s legacy. School leaders say they hope students will be inspired by his example as they learn, play, and grow in their faith.
School Principal Gary Cumberland on the need for a new playground
School Principal Gary Cumberland on Saint Carlo Acutis
Comments