October is the month dedicated to the Rosary. I will tell you about the Apostle of the Rosary. Though not very well-known, the story of Blessed (Bl.) Bartolo Longo is incredible.
Bl. Bartolo was born in 1841 in Italy and was raised by a Catholic Family. At a young age Bl. Bartolo’s Father died. This affected the Bl. Bartolo because after the death of his father, he started to lose his faith. In 1861 Bl. Bartolo began his studies at the University of Naples. It was during this time that Bl. Bartolo turned away from his Catholic faith and turned to Satanism. He became a satanic priest and presided over many satanic masses. Following his “ordination” as a satanic priest, Bl. Barolo started to suffer from depression, confusion, paranoia, and anxiety. After many years of suffering from these afflictions, Bl. Bartolo went to his good friend Vincenzo Pepe who then turned him to a Dominican priest by the name of Fr. Alberto Radente. Fr. Alberto helped Bl. Bartolo come back to the Catholic Church by asking him to pray the Rosary. It was through the Rosary that Bl. Bartolo was able to renounce Satanism. After coming back to the Church, Bl. Bartolo became a Third Order Dominican and helped to restore a shrine to Our Lady of Pompei. He took a small shrine and built the Basilica now known as the Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Pompei.
Bl. Bartolo’s life is tragic and yet beautiful. It is a great example of the benefits and graces one receives when they have a devotion to the Rosary. |
