Saint Carlo is the teenager known for his devotion to the Eucharist and creating an online exhibition of Eucharistic miracles. Blessed Bartolo is the former satanist turned champion of the Rosary and founder of the great shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary at Pompeii, in Italy. And St. Pier Giorgio, the young Italian mountaineer and student, was acclaimed as the “man of the beatitudes.” In my opinion, this saintly trio’s witness to the Gospel and ways of living our Catholic faith are perfectly aligned with what it means — or ought to mean — to be a Marian Helper. It’s fitting to take a closer look in this, the centennial year of the Association of Marian Helpers. Blessed Bartolo Longo Bartolo Longo (1841-1926; feast day: Oct. 5, shared with St. Faustina) was a freak, and I do not mean that in a good way. He didn’t stay a freak, but honestly, how bad do you have to be to go as far as being ordained a priest of Satan? That takes commitment. That takes — I assume study, though I’m not personally familiar with how Satanists prepare and train their priests. Something it’s best not to spend too much time thinking about. But Bartolo found his way home. That’s the really important part of his life and legacy — he found his way home to Christ and His Church. Bartolo had leaned in to evil, to service to the devil, to the enemy of all good, of humanity. And even with all that, even with whatever hellish things he’d done, still Jesus and Mary called him home to the faith, to the Church, and to the side of good. That means there’s hope for all of us, no matter how far we’ve fallen, no matter how evil we’ve been. There is hope. There is hope for you, Marian Helpers. There is hope for your family members who have fallen away or done awful evil things. There is hope for your neighbors. There is hope for everyone. And Bartolo Longo shows us how to help them — with the Rosary; serving Christ and His Church by loving Our Lady and using her devotions to bring others home to God. Saint Carlo Acutis Carlo Acutis (1991-2006; feast day: Oct. 12) was an extraordinary young man. He died at 15, but in that short lifetime, he went a lot farther in his generous love of God and neighbor than most of us do in a longer lifetime. See, it’s not actually that complicated to become holy. It all comes down to love of God and neighbor, or living like Jesus did. It can be hard — don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying it was easy to do what Carlo Acutis did. After all, how many teenagers, confronted by a leukemia diagnosis, promptly and peacefully offer up their sufferings for the pope and the Church? That takes some serious courage and fortitude. I find it so hopeful that Carlo Acutis managed that level of preparation for suffering and death in the modern world. He was a fairly normal teenager much of the time, loving his video games, loving life. But he also was willing to share his faith with his friends and neighbors. He loved the poor and the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and shared generously from his allowance to buy things to help the homeless. He did what he could with what he had where he was. Our Catholic Tradition speaks of the importance of living according to the duties of our state in life. Carlo Acutis showed us what that looks like in the 21st century. Marian Helpers, I say: Be like Carlo. If you’re called to an ordinary life as a lay person, embrace it! Love the Sacraments. Love God. Love neighbor. Love your ordinary life, your family and neighbors. Be ordinary and holy at the same time, and holy in your ordinariness. That will make you extraordinary. Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925; feast day: July 4) was my kind of guy. He loved his sports and the great outdoors, especially mountain climbing. That’s why you’ll see people quoting a slogan of his, “Verso l’alto,” which means “to the heights.” He meant it both in terms of he really wanted to go 14 Marian Helper • Fall 2025 • Marian.org SAINTLY TRIO
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