WALTHAM -- It was 4 a.m. on Sept. 7, and the only sign of life outside St. Jude Parish in Waltham was a pair of raccoons on the grass, still wet from the night's rain.

The parish basement was equally quiet. A table was set with a plethora of cookies and brownies. An inflatable mattress, blankets, and backpacks littered the floor. In the center of the room, a dozen young adults huddled together, watching scenes of a glorious sunny day and blue skies over St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. On the big screen, Pope Leo XIV was canonizing Sts. Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) and Carlo Acutis (1991-2006), two men whose brief but devoted lives have inspired young Catholics for decades. St. Carlo is informally known as the patron saint of the internet -- so Father Jeremy St. Martin, St. Jude's parochial vicar, asked for his intercession when the stream experienced technical difficulties.

"Carlo, help us!" He jokingly cried.

The young adults viewing the stream had been in the church for 16 hours, celebrating the canonization with a saintly sleepover and watch party. The festivities started on Sept. 6 with confessions, evening prayer, Mass, adoration, a dinner of pasta and meatballs (chosen because both new saints are Italian), board games, dancing, and then a brief nap before the canonization.

"As young people, we can still live the faith, and in modern times," said Lisa Hugick, who knitted a purple blanket while watching the canonization (she called it her "penance project"). "There's a lot of young saints throughout history, but we still have young saints in the church, and their devotion inspires me to want to continue to grow closer to Jesus."

The sleepover was the idea of Father Shawn Carey, pastor of St. Jude. Watching the canonization of St. Carlo as it happened was something of a mulligan for him. He was supposed to have seen Pope Francis canonize St. Carlo on April 27. The Deaf Catholic Youth Initiative of the Americas had invited Father Carey to Rome for the Jubilee for People with Disabilities on April 28 and 29. However, the death of Pope Francis forced the canonization to be postponed.

"God has a plan," Father Carey said. "We have plans, but God's plans are best."

Father St. Martin said that the sleepover was a chance to make "friendships in Christ."

"I think we're all more friends now with Carlo and Giorgio in Heaven, but now we're friends with each other more, which is great."

"I always enjoy coming to St. Jude's because it's a great community here, and I knew it would be a lot of fun, especially with Father Jeremy and Father Shawn," said 23-year-old Cory Foster.

Barefoot and in pajamas, Foster watched the canonization while drinking coffee out of a mug that featured Jesus saying "I saw that!"

He and the new saints have similar interests, including hiking and mountain climbing.

"It really feels personal," he said. "They're a lot like me."

His favorite part of the sleepover was when they danced to "Cotton-Eyed Joe."

Monica Cote, 27, said she was inspired by the two saints because they were athletes like her. She came to St. Jude's to see a canonization but ended up getting to hang out with friends. She and the other young women did their nails and gave each other facials. Grace Mazzarella joked that they "scared the boys with skincare."

"We ladies decided it was a good time to pamper ourselves, and I guess the gentlemen were not prepared for that," she said.

Mazzarella passed the time by drawing in her sketchbook. Some of her art has religious themes, but she usually draws whatever comes to mind. She said she is drawn to Sts. Carlo and Giorgio because "they're closer to our time period."

"It's easier to relate to the problems that they had in the world, especially San Carlo now, because being in the age of the internet," she said.

Tyler Worthy didn't know any of the people at the sleepover until that night.

"It was really wonderful to share that enthusiasm for these two young men," he said. "Ultimately, the enthusiasm of course is for God who shines his light through the saints."

Several years ago, Worthy visited Turin and attended an event with St. Giorgio's niece. He also saw the saint's tomb.

"I always had an incredible connection with him, especially because I enjoy hiking and being outdoors," he said.

Worthy and St. Carlo were born in the same month of the same year.

"That's been really neat, to learn about how this man is like a mirror of myself," he said. "This is someone who I could've gone to school with, and he is now a saint in heaven. So it's inspiring to live that way, even though I don't get the same early exit as he, I can still aspire to sanctity."