May Day 8
Two days every year, May 8 and the first Sunday in October, pilgrims from all over the world gather at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii to petition the Mother of God for their necessities under her title, Our Lady of the Rosary.
In our search for 31 ‘patrons against plague’ for the 31 days of May, Our Lady of Pompeii seemed a fitting choice for today.
Pope Francis, in his Wednesday General Audience, two days ago, invited the world’s faithful to join spiritually with those gathered at the shrine in praying the ‘Supplica’, an intense prayer of supplication written by the the builder of the Shrine, Bartolo Longo (now Blessed), who converted from Satanism through a particular grace from Jesus through Mary. After his conversion, Blessed Longo spent the rest of his life building the shrine and promoting devotion to Our Lady through her rosary. He never tired of speaking about Our Lady and especially about the moment she drew him to her Son.
The story of Blessed Bartolo Longo, the history of the Shrine in Pomeii, Italy, it’s extension shrine in the U.S, and the prayers of the ‘Supplica’ can be found here: https://www.ourladyofpompeii.org/
Catholic Power House 