It's October 7th, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary... so it's the perfect day to post this featured Saint of the Month: Bl. Bartolo Longo. He was a great promoter of the Rosary Devotion and his biography makes for a fascinating and edifying read, partly because he didn’t start off as a person inclined to sanctity like many other Saints, but rather he was just the opposite – Bartolo, in his young adult years, was actually a Satanist; a "priest" in a diabolic cult, which shows just how deeply involved he was in the dark arts. His life, therefore, is a particularly awesome testimony to the Divine Mercy of God, to the power of Our Lady’s maternal intercession… and to the demonic deceptions of occult practices.
Born on February 10, 1841, in Latiano, Italy, Bartolo’s family was wealthy but highly pious. His parents - Dr. Bartolomeo Longo and Antonina Luparelli – were devoted to the Blessed Virgin and the couple made it a point to have their family pray the daily Rosary together.
Bl. Bartolo Longo
An Apostle of the Rosary
Memorial: October 5th
When Bartolo’s beloved mother passed away in 1851 it marked a downhill slide for him away from the Church. What made matters worse was when he left home for the University of Naples to study law, he was befriended by members of a sect that was heavily into devil-worship. Through these peoples’ company, Bartolo was introduced to the practice of divination, necromancy, magick, and other occult rites, including perverse sexual rituals.
Drawn in by the sense of empowerment and belonging that the cult and its practices afforded him, our protagonist sunk deeper into Satanism. As his knowledge and preternatural skills in the occult grew, he also developed an increasing disdain for the Catholic Faith; openly mocking it and doing all he could to undermine its influence amongst his peers in the university, even convincing several to leave the Church in favor of occult practices. His efforts at being blatantly wicked impressed his companions so they chose him to be a leader – a priest – in their sect.
Bartolo’s brief stint as a satanic priest marked another turning point in his life - this time around it was unexpectedly positive. During the ceremony to install him as priest, extraordinary demonic phenomena manifested that was a rude awakening for the young man – accounts state that the room shook, while terrifying disembodied growls and guttural voices emanated from the walls, followed by an apparition of the devil, himself, which thoroughly terrified Bartolo. As a result of the experience, he developed a digestive issue that lasted for the rest of his life.
In the months following his “ordination”, Bartolo’s world quickly spiraled out of control. Diabolic visions and specters haunted him and, because of them, he suffered from bouts of depression, anxiety, and paranoia. The unfortunate man was devoid of peace and consolation, leading to poor health and an eventual mental collapse.
The 22-year-old Bartolo (note his hardened
expression compared to the top photo)
It was during this period of profound darkness and chaos that a ray of hope shown in Bartolo’s life. His family, despite Bartolo’s behavior and self-imposed distance from them and the Church, never gave up on him – they prayed diligently for his return. When he hit rock-bottom, Bartolo mysteriously heard his deceased father's voice admonishing him from beyond the grave, crying out several times: “Return to God!” It was both a loving call, as well as, a dire warning that prompted the young man to finally come to his senses.
Overcoming the opposition and threats of the other members, Bartolo broke away from his cult and sought guidance from a Professor Vincenzo Pepe, a devout Catholic who befriended him. The professor, in turn, connected him with a saintly Dominican priest named, Fr. Alberto Radente, who administered confession and patiently guided Bartolo in his reintegration back into the Church.
As a penance for his past life, Bartolo volunteered with a charitable association in Pompeii that served the poor and the sick. One day, in October 1872, while he was walking alone in a field in Pompeii, he was assailed by an overwhelming sense of despair and Bartolo’s mind was also flooded with doubt as to his salvation, along with thoughts of suicide (in this writer’s personal opinion, it was undoubtedly a retaliatory attack by the demons he once invoked). It was in the midst of this intense spiritual struggle that he had another mystical experience – he again heard a voice, but this time around it was his confessor, Fr. Alberto, saying to him:
“If you seek salvation, promote the
Rosary. This is Mary's own promise.”
Bartolo later wrote that the words “illumined” his soul and he fell to his knees and cried out to the Blessed Virgin: “If it is true ... I will not leave this valley until I have propagated your Rosary!” It was all that was needed to restore peace to his soul; a heartfelt plea to Our Lady that finally drove his personal demons away.
Almost immediately, Bartolo set about fulfilling the commitment he made to the Holy Mother. He organized rosary prayer groups, which met with minimal success, but after a couple of years he was inspired to look for an image of the Madonna to use as a dedicated focal point for his lay-apostolate. He eventually acquired an old, damaged painting from a nun – Madre Concetta de Litala – who Fr. Alberto referred him to. However, upon first seeing the image, Bartolo was disappointed by the homely features of the holy figures depicted… but Madre Concetta convinced him to accept it by stating, “Take it with you; you will see that the Blessed Mother will use this painting to work many miracles." Intended for the tiny old church of San Salvatore in Pompeii, the large painting arrived in a cart, wrapped in a bedsheet and atop a heap of manure, of all things! The date was November 13, 1875.
The world-famous miraculous image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii
Once the image was mounted in a little chapel, Bartolo invited local priests, along with the inhabitants of Pompeii to participate in a Rosary mission for the spiritual revival of the region. Not long after, in January 1876, Bartolo had the painting repaired and commissioned another artist to enhance the figures to make them more attractive. Another restoration followed in 1879 during which the kneeling female Saint representing St. Rose of Lima was changed to depict St. Catherine of Siena, so as to correspond with St. Dominic de Guzman (the other kneeling figure) since the two are key pillars in the Dominican Order to which Our Lady revealed the Rosary (a third restoration was completed in 1965).
Almost immediately after the painting's first restoration, astounding cures were reported through its public veneration, fulfilling Madre Concetta's words. It came to be called Our Lady of the Rosary, and it quickly became an object of pilgrimage. The positive spiritual fruits and remarkable graces were so evident, the local bishop authorized Bartolo to build a larger church to enshrine the miraculous image. So between May 1876 and May 1891 that's exactly what the lawyer did - he funded the construction of a new sanctuary, using his own earnings and donations received from grateful clients of the Blessed Mother. Bartolo later turned the shrine over to the Holy See in 1906 to avoid any perception of self-gain related to the donations that continued to come in. After his death, the church was enlarged in 1939 and officially consecrated as the Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Pompeii. Today, over 3 millions pilgrims visit the shrine annually.
Bartolo with his wife, Countess Mariana de
Fusco, and the sanctuary they co-founded
Bartolo's mission did not end with the completion of the Pompeii shrine. In April 1885 he had married a close friend - the highly pious widow and countess named Mariana de Fusco - who was his generous collaborator in establishing the shrine; a Rosary confraternity; an orphanage; and a trade school to educate and train the children of the poor and prisoners. Furthermore, Bartolo founded the Daughters of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii to administer his various charitable works, and was a Dominican Tertiary since 1871... and lastly, as if the above-list of accomplishments was not enough, he was an active public speaker when it came to exposing the diabolic nature of occult practices.
Until his death on October 5, 1926, at the age of 75, Bartolo never stopped promoting devotion to his beloved Virgin of Pompeii and her Rosary. He kept his promise to her.. and, of course, Our Lady kept hers too - Bartolo, a former Satanist and enemy of the Faith, was surely saved! The Catholic Church officially affirmed the matter by Beatifying him on October 26, 1980. Pope St. John Paul II referred to this holy man as the "Apostle of the Rosary" and rightfully so.
The bodily relics of Bl. Bartolo in Pompeii
