Blessed Bartolo Longo: The Ex-Satanic Priest Who Became a Marian Apostle

This is the astonishing true story of Blessed Bartolo Longo (1841–1926), a man who descended into darkness as a satanic priest during his years as a law student in Naples—but who was rescued by divine grace and became one of the Church’s most fervent promoters of the Holy Rosary. Raised in a devout Catholic family, Bartolo fell away from the faith during his university studies, swept up in the anti-clerical, occult movements of his time. He was ordained a satanic priest and suffered severe depression, paranoia, and spiritual torment. But through the prayers of his family and the guidance of a Dominican priest, Fr. Alberto Radente, Bartolo experienced a miraculous conversion.

Devoting his life to penance and reparation, Bartolo dedicated himself to Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary. He helped rebuild the faith of an entire region by bringing the Rosary to the poor in Pompeii, where he founded the now world-famous Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii. He also established schools, orphanages, and legal aid for the poor—all as acts of penance and service. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1980, calling him the “Man of Mary” and a “true lay apostle of the Rosary.”

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