Who Was Bartolo Longo? Meet the Ex-Satanist Being Canonised in 2025
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You probably wouldn’t expect the Church to canonise an ex-Satanic priest.
And yet, that’s exactly what’s about to happen next month.
Bartolo Longo’s story is one of the most dramatic conversions that I’ve ever heard. A man who once served Satan… and eventually found peace through the Rosary.
But how did a man so lost in darkness become a saint? And why does his story matter to us today?
A Troubled Time
Like many stereotypical Italian families, he was raised in a very religious Catholic household.
His father was a lawyer. However, after he passed away, Bartolo was determined to follow the same career path as his father.
At the University of Napoli, he would spend the next few years to reach that dream. But he didn’t realise the problems that this decision could lead to…
In the 1860s, big changes in Italy were happening politically and religiously.
As a matter of fact, Italy as we know it didn’t even exist. The land was divided into separate Kingdoms. In the 1860s, General Garriboldi wanted that to change. He wanted Italy to be one nation. However, Garriboldi wasn’t the biggest admirer of the Church.
He despised the Church. He saw the Pope as a threat to Italy. His goal wasn’t just to get rid of Pope Pius IX but the papacy as a whole. Since Garriboldi was leading the movement to unify Italy, his anti-Catholic beliefs also began to spread.
At the same time, there was widespread occultism throughout Italy. Despite these being explicitly banned in the Church and the Bible, these practices were prevalent, especially in the South of Italy, where Bartolo Longo was from.
It was inevitable that at university, he would encounter these differing beliefs. But no one would expect him to go this far.
A Walk With Satan
Unlike many people who practice occult spirituality, Bartolo didn’t dabble in it. He went extreme and became an ordained Satanic priest.
The human heart is made for love and God. So when Bartolo decided to follow Satan, his only destination would be misery.
For a year, Bartolo Longo would suffer from demonic possession. He would lose weight, become very depressed, and nervous. To make things even creepier, on his side, he felt that he had a dark angel always beside him.
He was in a state that no one should be in. It was unsustainable.
This life of misery continued until he met Fr Alberto Radente. This Dominican priest and nun offered Bartolo a different option to Satanism. They gave him a Rosary.
And surprisingly, he started using it.
The Turning Point
The improvement in his life was noticeable.
The despair that Satanism was causing him was obvious. His severe nervousness and despair were gone.
One day, so convinced by the truth of Catholicism, he chose to publicly renounce Satanism. Holding the Rosary in one hand, this former Satanic priest declared occultism to be “nothing but a maze of error and falsehood.”
It was through the Dominican Order and the Rosary that he started to reclaim his life. So, Bartolo decided to become a lay Dominican, taking the name ‘Rosary’.
But even if Bartolo was helped, Italy was still infected by these beliefs.
Saving Pompeii
When Bartolo went to Pompeii to visit a friend, he found something quite concerning.
It was like university all over again. There were swarms of people lost in superstition and ignorance. Instead of turning to God for their problems, they turn to sorceresses. Some villagers were so poorly educated that they thought the Trinity was three Gods.
Being in such a spiritual desert crushed Bartolo. But he remembered what saved him the first time as a Satanist.
The Rosary.
It became his mission to help save the people through the Rosary.
With the help of his friend in Pompeii, Countess Mariana, he created a religious group called the confraternity of the Rosary. He started restoring a church and, famously, the painting which will be known as Our Lady of Pompeii.
His efforts at first seemed useless. After sponsoring the Feast of the Holy Rosary, the whole festival was rained on, and the priest didn’t even speak the same dialect.
Later on, in the Church Bartolo was restoring, a miracle was reported. And with that, an explosion in the faith of Pompeii. By 1939, an entire basilica would be built around this Church.
The Life and Death of a Saint
In 1885, Mariana and Bartolo would develop a strong bond with each other in this mission and eventually decide to marry.
Together they helped orphans and child prisoners of work. But throughout his entire life, he promoted the Rosary, the pathway that led him back to Christ.
His heart was so kind that he was nominated twice for a Nobel Peace Prize. Although never winning one, it showed his deep care and love for people that was unmistakable, even in a culture that was anti-Catholic.
Finally, in 1926, his Apostle of the Rosary’s life came to a close.
Why Bartolo’s Story Matters Today
His life is probably crazier than most people's (hopefully). But Bartolo shows us two main things:
1. God’s mercy is endless
Bartolo abandoned God. But Christ did not abandon him. He gave him opportunities to return to holiness. If even a Satanic priest can be a saint, I think you and I have a pretty good chance.
2. The Rosary is something we should embrace
Blessed Bartolo’s life was fixated on the Rosary. It helped him originally. It helped Pompeii. It helped make him a saint. Bartolo was correct when he thought that the Rosary was the answer to Pompeii’s problem. Yet today, many don’t even think twice about it.
Want to Go Deeper?
This story is great, but one which many people simply don’t know. The reality is that many saints had a love for the rosary, but at times, this is not often spoken about.
That’s why Fr. Donald Calloway wrote Champions of the Rosary to inspire you in the path of holiness. In it, you can discover:
- The story of Bartolo Longo’s dramatic conversion.
-How other saints used the Rosary as their greatest spiritual weapon.
-Why the Rosary isn’t just “old-fashioned prayer” but a key to surviving today’s spiritual battles.
This book is inspiring, practical, and easy to read, and it just might change the way you see the Rosary forever.
The Rosary changed Bartolo’s life. It changed Pompeii. It’s changing mine. It can change yours.
Get your copy of Champions of the Rosary today and discover the stories of these great saints and how it can transform your life too.
“The Rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother.” - St Louis de Montefort
God Bless.