What is the Rosary? The Poem of Human Redemption, Homily Reflections by: Fr. Peter Turrone, IMC [Part 1 in English]
Re-discover the Apostle of the Holy Rosary 150 years after his 1st visit to Pompeii, Italy. Fr. Peter reflects on learning about Bl. Bartolo Longo who taught, "Chi propaga il Rosario è salvo!"
FEATURE ARTICLE | ISSUE 1 | APOSTLE OF THE HOLY ROSARY | FOR CQ
“Se cerchi salvezza, propaga il Rosario. È promessa di Maria. Chi propaga il Rosario è salvo!”. ~ Bl. Bartolo Longo
ISSUE #1: THE ROSARY ON THE CAMINO
O Terço - oterco.substack.com [2nd Edition w/ Revised title in Portuguese and typos replaced]1
FEATURE ARTICLE | PART 1 | INTRODUCING THE ROSARY | BOOKLET #I
“Come due amici – egli scrive –, praticando frequentemente insieme, sogliono conformarsi anche nei costumi, così noi, conversando familiarmente con Gesù e la Vergine, nel meditare i Misteri del Rosario, e formando insieme una medesima vita con la Comunione, possiamo diventare, per quanto ne sia capace la nostra bassezza, simili ad essi, ed apprendere da questi sommi esemplari il vivere umile, povero, nascosto, paziente e perfetto” (Bartolo Longo, I Quindici Sabati del Santissimo Rosario, 27ª ed., Pompei, 1916, p. 27: cit. in Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 15). 19 October 2008, Pope Benedict XVI
DIGITAL LAYOUT IMAGINED BY: TRAVESSA DA SENRA HOUSE PRESS ©
In this Feature Article, Fr. Peter Turrone, IMC, tells the story of how he discovered Bl. Bartolo Longo and his connection to the Rosary, when he led a pilgrimage to a special shrine in Italy during their visit to Pompeii in June 2023.
[Formatted for tablet scroll; images from PUBLIC DOMAIN for educational use purposes]
PAGE 2 of 8: FR. PETER TURRONE | “HAIL, MARY, FULL OF GRACE”:
PAGE 3 of 8: FR. PETER TURRONE | ON DISCOVERING BLESSED BARTOLO LONGO — “THE ALTAR WAS ON TOP OF THE TOMB OF BL. B. LONGO”
PAGE 4 of 8: FR. PETER TURRONE | ON DISCOVERING BLESSED BARTOLO LONGO — “THIS MAN USED TO BE A SATANIC PRIEST”
5 of 8: FR. PETER TURRONE | ON DISCOVERING BLESSED BARTOLO LONGO — “THE APOSTLE OF THE ROSARY”
PAGE 6 of 8: FR. PETER TURRONE | ON DISCOVERING BLESSED BARTOLO LONGO — “THE GREATNESS OF THE PRAYER OF THE HOLY ROSARY”
PAGE 7 of 8: FR. PETER TURRONE | ON DISCOVERING BLESSED BARTOLO LONGO — “HOW TO PRAY THE POEM OF REDEMPTION: THE ROSARY”
PAGE 8 of 8: FR. PETER TURRONE | ON DISCOVERING BLESSED BARTOLO LONGO — “THE ROSARY: THE POEM OF HUMAN REDEMPTION” | ROCJ
BIOGRAPHY: ABOUT REV. FR. PETER TURRONE
Fr. Peter’s global journey of faith and ministry has been one of contrasts defined by the imperative of Jesus to “walk humbly” in service and learning. He is the Pastor of Holy Rosary Church, in Toronto, Canada.
As a seminarian, Fr. Peter undertook studies in theology at the Pontifical Urbania University in Rome. Fr. Peter then served as a missionary in outer Mongolia on the borders of the Gobi Desert, where he helped establish the “world’s youngest Catholic church” in one of the most remote parts of the planet. After three years, he returned to Canada, and was appointed as associate pastor at St. Clare of Assisi parish in Woodbridge, Ontario where his main ministry was as chaplain and liaison to nine neighbouring schools in the area.
Before becoming a priest, Fr. Peter was on a path to academia. He earned an undergraduate degree in specialized psychology at York University in 1998. Then, he went on to earn his Masters and Doctoral degrees in Medical Science and Neuroscience at University of Toronto in 2004. As part of his program, Fr. Peter also worked as a research scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, examining the side effects of antipsychotic drugs.
Fr. Peter is an advisor among a growing international team overseeing the thematic and theological focus for guest interviews that guide the content for the Rosary Hour Podcast.2 Fr. Peter curated the focus for Season 2 with the question: “What does it mean to be a child of God?” This inquiry has guided the creative process and scriptural emphasis & inspires the materials and content for the podcast & its related projects promoting the prayer of the Rosary. Father Peter’s ongoing Rosary lessons from his homilies on the Rosary from Oct. 1 and Oct. 7 are featured in this first issue of oterco.substack.com in both English and Portuguese. We’d like to thank Fr. Peter for sharing these homily reflections to help others discover the Rosary and reflect on its mysteries.
Meet Fr. Peter here:
Pray the First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary with Fr. Peter and Amelia here:
EPILOGUE BY TRAVESSA DA SENRA HOUSE PRESS
Those who read this article may have yet to discover the significant role of Blessed Bartolo Longo in the life of the Church and in the story of the Holy Rosary.
Visitors to this Roman town where an entire civilization (with its animals, city structures, including the first ancient street food stands, etc.) were preserved, may not realize it is associated with the founder / benefactor of a Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
This holy place is visited each year by millions of pilgrims who journey to the Rosary Shrine in Italy and which today celebrated 150 years of this figure’s first arrival at Pompeii.
Here he sought refuge from a life he regretted; Fr. Peter Turrone describes this struggle in this homily article, and reminds us of the power of pilgrim visits to sacred places: they can can link us to the histories of very important souls chosen by God to carry out a specific mission.
We hope that Fr. Peter’s journey to Pompeii provides some insight into the prayer of the Rosary titled here as it was coined by this Blessed as “The Poem of Redemption”.3
Here is the introductory video by EWTN for today’s “festa’.
Born: February 10, 1841 in Naples, Italy
Died: October 5, 1926 in Pompeii, Italy
Feast Day: October 5
GRAPHIC DESIGN CONCEPT IMAGINED BY MEMBER OF CHILDREN’S ROSARY ®, AMELIA, JUNIOR CONTENT CREATOR & CURATOR for The Rosary Hour Podcast & Travessa da Senra House Press. Spiritual Direction: Padre Nuno Rocha, Fr. Peter Turrone, Fr. Charles Nahm, and founding Spiritual Direction from Fr. Anthony Gramlich, MIC (National Shrine of the Divine Mercy)
“Sentivami scoppiare il cuore. In cotanta tenebra, una voce amica pareva mi sussurasse all’orecchio quelle parole che io stesso avevo letto, e che di frequente mi ripeteva il santo amico dell’anima mia (il padre Radente): ‘Se cerchi salvezza, propaga il Rosario. E’ promessa di Maria.’ Chi propaga il Rosario è salvo! Questo pensiero fu come un baleno che rompe il buio di una notte tempestosa… Coll’audacia della disperazione sollevai le braccia e le mani al cielo, e volto alla Vergine celeste: Se è vero –gridai- che Tu hai promesso a San Domenico che chi propaga il Rosario si salva, io mi salverò perché non uscirò da questa terra di Pompei senza aver qui propagato il tuo Rosario! Nessuno rispose: silenzio di tomba mi avvolgeva intorno. Ma, da una calma che repentinamente successe alla tempesta nell’animo mio, compresi che quel grido sarebbe stato un giorno esaudito… La risposta del cielo non fu tarda.” (Bartolo Longo)
READ THIS ARTICLE IN PORTUGUESE IN 2024 VIA OUR NEW SITE THAT WILL BE LAUNCHED DECEMBER 24, 2023.
FOOTNOTES
We have updated the Portuguese title which will be reflected in the translation [upcoming]. Thus, page #2 has been revised for when we repost. Page 8 of 8 was also revised on Sat. Nov. 4.
This Rosary initiative began by asking questions at the Digital Café, led by members of Children’s Rosary ®, Amelia when she & her family / friends approached Fr. Anthony Gramlich for help on understanding the Rosary. Members of Children’s Rosary ® for the Q and A are guided by Dr. Blythe Kaufman, founder of Children’s Rosary who assists them in shaping content with Fr. Charles Nahm (lead spiritual director) and other pastors who have been invited guests. See https://youtube.com/@Travessadasenrahousepress for a full list.