A Jubilee in honour of Blessed Bartolo Longo, member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Marian Shrine of Pompeii has recently produced a comic strip (in Italian) recounting the life of its founder, Blessed Bartolo Longo, Knight of the Order. Contact: info@santuariodipompei.it
On 1 October 2022, the ‘Longhiano Jubilee Way’ will open at the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary in Pompeii, a special year in honour of the 150th anniversary of Bartolo Longo’s arrival in the desolate valley (as he called it).
The young Apulian lawyer arrived there to administer the estate of Countess Marianna Farnararo Vedova De Fusco. Wandering through the marshy countryside, the thought of his past perdition haunted him, forcing him to ponder the salvation of his soul. He heard a voice within, a kind of “inner illumination”: “If you seek salvation, spread the Rosary. It is Mary’s promise. Whoever propagates the Rosary is saved!”.
From then on, he dedicated his entire long life to spreading the Rosary and to human promotion, building a splendid Shrine, giving life to numerous works of charity, which are still active today in favour of children, mothers in difficulty, the poor, disabled children, and founding the new city of Pompeii. Marking this jubilee year, Pope Francis granted, through the Apostolic Penitentiary, a plenary indulgence until 31 October 2023. Pope Pius XI, on 5 March 1925, then Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, counted Bartolo Longo among the members of the Order with the rank of Knight Grand Cross.
To mark the link with the Order, the Lieutenancy for Southern Tyrrhenian Italy is promoting a pilgrimage, scheduled for 11 and 12 February 2023. The programme includes a solemn Concelebration, presided over by H.E. Msgr. Tommaso Caputo, Prelate Archbishop of Pompeii and Assessor of the Order, and a reading on the Blessed by the journalist and writer François Vayne, former spokesman of the Sanctuary of Lourdes and now director of the Communications Office of our Order. The detailed program of the Jubilee Year can be found on the website www.chiesadipompei.it.
Loreta Somma
Communications Office of the Shrine
of Pompeii
(December 2022)