Since Eve, Satan has been telling us the same lie about “secret knowledge” and enticing us with illusions of power and control. But—as Eve, Bartolo Longo, and many other sinners like me experienced when engaging with the evil one—he ultimately takes his pound of flesh. While many of us have fallen far chasing these false promises, Bartolo Longo’s redemptive journey from Satanist priest to canonized saint is a shining example of how God’s forgiving grace and mercy can reach in and pull us out of the deepest darkness into His light.
In order to understand St. Bartolo Longo’s ultimate holiness, however, we need to first consider his humanity. Born into a devout Catholic family in 1841, Bartolo Longo was brought up in the Faith in the peaceful town of Latiano, Italy. When his mother died, St. Bartolo Longo’s grief made him start to question the Real Presence of the Lord. Already doubting his faith, when he arrived at university, Bartolo Longo was easily indoctrinated by the secular views of his professors and peers. He was set further adrift not only by what he was experiencing in college but also by the intense upheaval he was observing around him in Italy, a country on the brink of war.
As Matthew 7:13–14 warns, “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life…” Like so many, St. Bartolo Longo chose that wide gate, slowly wading into the shallow waters of spiritualism and the occult. Bit by bit, he drifted deeper, eventually joining a cult and ultimately plunging in headfirst to be ritualistically consecrated as a Satanic priest.
It was at this crisis point that a childhood friend felt compelled to reach out and encourage Bartolo to return to the true Faith. Guided by that encounter, Bartolo met Fr. Alberto Radente, a compassionate Dominican priest who walked with him through a long, painful process of repentance. Almost exactly one year after that blessed conversation, Bartolo formally renounced the occult, made his confession, and rejoined the Catholic Church—eventually becoming a Lay Dominican and taking the religious name Rosario.
Yet, despite his conversion, he was always haunted by his past. St. Bartolo Longo was tormented by the thought that his soul was still damned because of the previous vows he had made. He suffered severe paranoia, hallucinations, and deep depression that led to a complete nervous breakdown. He was also worried about the many people he led astray while he was living in darkness, and the desperation and regret brought him to a new low.
Not long after his breakdown, St. Bartolo Longo was standing in a field below the mountain of Pompeii when he recalled a spiritual promise attributed to the Rosary: “If you seek salvation, propagate the Rosary.” St. Bartolo Longo vowed on the spot that he would spend the rest of his life doing just that. The saint dedicated the next fifty years in service of bringing others to Jesus through Mary. In his 2002 Apostolic Letter, St. John Paul II noted that Bartolo Longo possessed a “special charism” for promoting the “contemplative heart of the rosary.”
St. Bartolo Longo’s success was astounding. Over the rest of his life, he brought more than 180,000 people into the Rosary Confraternity and tirelessly spread devotion to Mary through the Holy Rosary. By the time of his death in 1926, he had built the Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompei, authored the 54-day Rosary Novena, founded orphanages, schools, and homes for the children of prisoners, and was already being called the “Apostle of the Rosary.”
In his writings, the saint frequently referred to Mary as his deliverer, famously stating near his death: “My only desire is to see Mary, who saved me and will save me from the clutches of Satan.” He was describing in death what he witnessed over the last fifty years of his life. Mary’s Immaculate Heart serves as the supreme model, protector, and channel for receiving God’s mercy. She is considered by many to be God’s “secret weapon” against the evil one.
In honoring Mary, the saint set out this prayer to remind us of her important role in our spiritual lives:
O Mother, implore mercy for us from your Divine Son, and win by your clemency the hearts of sinners. They are brothers and sisters, and your children, who cost the blood of our sweet Jesus and sadden your most sensitive heart. Show yourself to all as you are: the Queen of Peace and of pardon.
So today, on St. Bartolo Longo’s feast day, I hope you will welcome his story into your heart. Remember that no matter how far you have fallen, the Lord is there with you. He assigned His Mother to be your guide back home. God’s mercy and forgiveness flow toward you—you just need to turn and accept it.
Jesus says in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy: “Today bring to me the pagans and those who don’t yet know me. I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.” He is calling out to us just like he once called Bartolo Longo. Like the saint, we should allow ourselves to be “immersed in the ocean of His mercy,” fully realizing that His love and forgiveness reign forever.
Peace be with you.
Author’s Note: Whether the occult has touched your life directly or you are searching for encouragement in spiritual battles, I recommend reading Confessions of a Former Witch, available from Sophia Institute Press. This story, like St. Bartolo’s, stands as proof that no soul is ever beyond God’s reach.
Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a new CE original series, “Vanquishing Evil: Stories of Saints Who Conquered the Darkness.” This series chronicles the legendary figures who went head-to-head with Satan—and emerged victorious. These extraordinary lives serve as living proof that, no matter how fierce the shadow, God’s light will prevail.
Photo by Artem Kniaz on Unsplash
