Mary will not deny you her assistance

In his General Audience of May 6, 2020, Pope Francis addressed Italian listeners, reminding them that two days later, an "intense prayer of Petition to Our Lady of the Rosary would be offered at the Shrine of Pompei."

“I urge everyone to unite themselves spiritually to this popular act of faith and devotion, so that through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, the Lord may grant mercy and peace to the Church and to the whole world,” the Pontiff said.

He also encouraged the young, the elderly, the sick and newlyweds to place themselves with confidence under Mary's protection. "Be certain that she will not deny you her assistance in your hour of trial."

Twice each year, on May 8th and again on the first Sunday of October, solemn prayers of petition are offered at the Shrine at Pompeii for the needs of the whole world. The devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary at Pompeii goes back to Blessed Bartolo Longo, who converted from satanism and became, as Saint John Paul II said at his beatification, “a man of Mary.” Bartolo felt Our Lady told him that his path to Heaven was through teaching others to pray the Rosary.

Bartolo moved to Pompeii, where he began Rosary groups, organized Marian processions, and began work on a Shrine to Our Lady of the Rosary. His work was funded by the Countess di Fusco, with whom he worked so closely that rumors began to spread about the nature of their relationship. Though Bartolo had taken a private vow of chastity, he was encouraged by Pope Leo XIII to marry the countess for the sake of the work; the two entered into a celibate marriage and continued to serve the poor.

For more than 50 years, Bartolo preached the Rosary, founded schools for the poor, established orphanages for the children of criminals, and transformed a city of death into a city dedicated to the living Mother of God. A special prayer is said twice a year at Pompeii, telling her, “O Queen … We shall not leave You until You have blessed us.”

Adapted by the Marie de Nazareth editorial team from Vatican News and Aleteia