Members of Sacred Heart Parish in Virden have collaborated to create a T-shirt honoring two newly canonized saints, Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. The initiative was led by parish secretary Marcella Rosier, her niece Claire McGrath, and nephew Father Daniel McGrath. The project aims to celebrate the Church's Year of Hope and raise funds for diocesan seminarians.

Rosier initially sought a way to commemorate the Year of Hope with a T-shirt. She later decided that including references to Acutis and Frassati would make the shirt especially meaningful for young people. Claire McGrath, who works with parish youth, suggested her brother could design the artwork. All plans were approved by their pastor, Father James Palakudy, SAC, before moving forward.

Father Daniel McGrath described the creative process: “My aunt and my sister had been toying with the idea of a mountain to represent Pier Giorgio and a monstrance to represent Carlo Acutis,” he said. After settling on these symbols, he created draft sketches which were combined digitally by Rosier.

“Because the pictures are just lines, it did not take long at all once I thought of the basic design for each one. I drew them separately and Marcella was able to set them together on the computer. I think Marcella’s portion of the project took far longer than my drawings did.” A local print shop, Inkorporated Designs, is producing the shirts.

The navy blue shirts feature yellow or gold for the monstrance and white for the mountain motif. Father McGrath noted that this color scheme is similar to diocesan colors.

Promotion for the shirts has appeared in parish bulletins, on their website, and in Catholic Times issues since shortly after the canonizations occurred. Shirts are available in sizes ranging from youth up to adult 5 XL.

Rosier estimates that after covering costs, each adult shirt sold will provide $8 toward support for seminarians. “Also, we’ve had a few monetary donations as well,” she added. Youth from Sacred Heart Parish are also involved in sales efforts and packaging orders.

Father McGrath expressed satisfaction about contributing his artwork: “I think the financial support gives the donors a good sense of investment in the seminarians,” he said. “Those men who are in seminary are real people, and sometimes I think people who have never had contact with them — like myself before I even met one — don’t really know they are out there.”

Orders continue to be accepted through Sacred Heart Parish’s website or by printing an order form online.