Blessed Carlo Acutis’ mother, Antonia Acutis, reacted joyfully to the news that her son and fellow Italian Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will be canonized together on Sept. 7, noting that the two share several characteristics.

“I am happy because Pier Giorgio Frassati was a young man, like Carlo,” she told the Register in an exclusive interview.

Antonia also pointed to the pair’s mutual devotion to the Eucharist and the fact that both were from well-to-do families, “yet both of them chose Christ,” she said, rather than the pursuit of material things.

“Today, it is good to remind young people about these two young men who were more interested in ‘being’ than in ‘having’ to find their security,” she said.

Carlo was a big admirer of Pier Giorgio Frassati during his lifetime, according to Antonia.

“Yes, Carlo knew about him. He knew about many young saints: Pier Giorgio Frassati, Chiara Badano, Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. These were all figures who had preceded him,” she said.

“He loved young saints,” Antonia continued. “In fact, before Carlo died, he was thinking about creating an exhibit on young saints. He had received a book in French — because he could read in French — on young saints and was reading it during his last days.”

Another unusual commonality between the two soon-to-be-canonized young saints is that both have had a change in canonization dates, leaving their ardent supporters around the world scrambling to change airplane tickets and lodging reservations.

“The important thing is that we have a date!” said Antonia. “Whatever the Church chooses is fine with us.”