From Satanist to Saint: The Story of Bartolo Longo
When pilgrims gather to witness the canonization of Blessed Bartolo Longo, they will see not just the elevation of a new saint, but a story of a radical conversion.
Bartolo Longo was a lawyer once drawn into the darkness of satanism who became one of the most luminous lay apostles of the modern church.
Early Life and Conversion
Born in Latiano, Italy, in 1841, Longo seemed destined for worldly success. He studied law at the University of Naples, where intellectual fashions of the time — positivism, rationalism, and spiritualism — led him far from the faith of his youth.
He immersed himself in the occult, even serving for a time as a self-styled satanic priest.
Longo's story is one of transformation, from a life of darkness to a life of devotion, giving the world the shrine of Our Lady in Pompeii.
Author's summary: Bartolo Longo's radical conversion inspires.