Saint Bartolo Longo
Feast Day Mass & Deposition of Relic
When: 6PM Monday, 5th October 2026
Where: St. Mary’s Church, Leederville WA
Celebrant: Bishop Nelson Po
5th October is the Feast Day and anniversary of Saint Bartolo Longo’s death in 1926.
A lay apostle of the Rosary: Saint Bartolo Longo was a lawyer, husband and devoted layman whose life was shaped by conversion, prayer and service to the Church. Pope John Paul II described him as an “apostle of the Rosary” and a layman who lived his ecclesial commitment fully.
Founder and servant of the poor: With the help of his wife, Marianna Farnararo, he helped establish the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary at Pompeii and founded works of charity and Christian education, including care for orphans and the children of prisoners.
A witness to conversion and hope: After a period of spiritual crisis, Longo returned to the faith with the guidance of priests. His subsequent life showed how conversion can lead to prayer, works of mercy and generous service.
A special connection to the Order: Pope Pius XI conferred on Longo the Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Canonised in 2025: Pope Leo XIV canonised Bartolo Longo on 19 October 2025. He is therefore rightly honoured as Saint Bartolo Longo.
A message for today: His example invites us to deepen our prayer through the Rosary, share the faith through our daily lives, and put faith into action through care for people who are poor or vulnerable. Pope Leo XIV presented Longo as a model of conversion and works of mercy, and commended the Rosary as a way of contemplating Christ with Mary.