30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
~ This past February, I journeyed to Italy on a Jubilee Year pilgrimage. We visited Rome, of course and went through the Holy Doors, but we also visited other cities in Italy, including Pompeii, where we toured the ruins of that ancient city devastated by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. While in Pompeii, we visited and celebrated Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. We celebrated Mass in a side chapel, not the main sanctuary, and our group of pilgrims went into the chapel while I went to the sacristy to prepare for Mass. I hadn’t yet been in the chapel before I walked in with my vestments on, ready to celebrate the Mass. It was a simple chapel, but I immediately noticed that there was a body underneath the altar. I hadn’t been told whose remains were interred there, and I couldn’t see any signage. So I celebrated Mass over the remains of this mysterious person (to me!). It was only after Mass concluded and we sang “Immaculate Mary” (since we were in the shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary) that our parishioner Larry Koesterer said, “Blessed Bartolo Longo, pray for us!” The mystery had been solved! But who was Blessed Bartolo Longo?
Bartolo Longo (1841 – 1926) underwent one of the most dramatic conversions in recent Church history. He grew up in a Catholic household, but after studying law at a university in Naples, Italy, he went from being a practicing Catholic to taking part in anti-papal demonstrations to becoming an atheist, then a Satanist, and eventually being “ordained” to the Satanist priesthood!
Through the prayers of his family and the influence of devout friends, particularly a Dominican priest named Father Alberto Radente, Longo experienced a profound conversion, renouncing his past and returning wholeheartedly to the Catholic Church.
Following his conversion, Longo dedicated his life to promoting the rosary and the message of mercy and hope through the Virgin Mary. He settled in the poverty-stricken town of Pompeii where he began restoring a dilapidated church and tirelessly worked to build a Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. With support from benefactors and the local community, he transformed Pompeii into a thriving center of Catholic devotion. His efforts culminated in the construction of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, the site where we celebrated Mass in the presence of his mortal remains. In addition to his religious work, Longo was a tireless advocate for social justice. He founded schools, orphanages, and charitable institutions, especially for the children of prisoners, believing in the power of education and mercy to transform lives.
Last weekend on World Mission Sunday, Pope Leo canonized Bartolo Longo, along with six other new saints. The group includes three women and four men, with two martyrs, three laypeople, and two founders of religious orders. Among them are Papua New Guinea’s first saint and the first two saints from Venezuela. We rejoice in all these new saints, though I feel a special connection to St. Bartolo Longo, who I met just this year. As we approach All Saints Day on November 1, I encourage you to learn about, call upon, and seek the intercession of all the sainted men, women, and children who inspire us on our journey of faith.
Saint Bartolo Longo, pray for us!