Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii, I come to you belatedly, but wished to write to you on the great Feast of All Saints. As I mentioned from the pulpit, there is a very special opportunity to thank the children who are the unsung heroes of this project. Tallies are still being counted from last month, but it appears the Children have offered about about 28,000 Rosaries since our Crusade commenced. I am challenging the host of children to hit 30,000 Rosaries by the time we oc

November 8th - Deadline Last day to submit your intentions before they are lowered into the altar. If you are local, stationary is available after Sunday Mass. If you are not local, simply reply to this email with a message. I will bundle and seal them with the Tabernacle. November 13th - Open House On this day, 151 years ago, the painting of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary arrived in the Valle di Pompeii. On this anniversary, we will transfer our painting from St. Michael the Ar

Dear Faithful, Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious blessings on today's mighty feast. The altar is quickly taking shape, and I would like you to be a part of it. Please email me at info@pompeiirising.org with your name, or a brief prayer intention, or perhaps a picture of you or a loved one. I will print them out and place it in the altar before it is sealed in about two weeks. On Monday, we celebrated the centenary of the death of St. Bartolo Longo, who died on October 5th, 192

Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii, I write to you on the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel. For almost four decades, the Prince of the Heavenly Host has stood guard over the little chapel as patron in Jacksonville where we celebrated his Feast for the last time. The scaffolding is down and the building feels like a church again. Give yourself a tour by clicking here or viewing our new live cam. The restorative aspect of the project concludes. In two short months, this will no l

Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii, On August 15, we celebrated the feast of the Assumption. That same day, I had the joy of sharing the wonderful news that we had reached our ambitious $7.5 million goal to complete Phase 2 of the Pompeii Rising Restoration Project. In thanksgiving for this blessing, I felt compelled to begin a 54-day Rosary Novena on that very day. The novena will conclude on October 7, the feast of the Holy Rosary. This same great feast of Our Lady assumed

Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii, As the month of July draws to a close, we should appreciate more and more the price for our salvation – the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1,19). As we are in the remote preparations for the consecration of Our Lady of Pompeii, I can’t help but anticipate ascending the altar for the first time and ve

Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii, We are exactly half way through the year, and Holy Mother Church has refreshed us with an entire month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus. Here, in Jacksonville, June brings to this project a new wave of Rosary Crusaders who just received their First Holy Communion. If your son or daughter has received their First Holy Communion, they are eligible. Enlist your child today. For fundraising updates, June saw an increase of $650,

Dear Fr. Thomas, My grandparents, James and Laura Jones, were married at the Church of the Holy Rosary on April 27th, 1957. To love someone so much, that you give your entire being, and your whole heart to them, is something I've always dreamed of! As the granddaughter of a couple who chose to do that, and under the loving gaze of Our Lady of the Rosary, I'd like to share a bit of my own story as a testament. A testament that those who truly love, always find themselves at th

Hail, Virgin, dearest Mary. Our lovely Queen of May! Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii, Writing to you from Saint Marys, KS to spend a little time with my mother. In the last few hours of this special month dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, let us rejoice that we all have a Mother who loves us and always directs us to her Divine Son. It feels like just yesterday we had our First Annual Feast of Our Lady of Pompeii. For many, it was an introduction to the sacred image of Our

Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii, I wish to invite you to our third annual celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Pompeii next Friday, May 8th. At five o’clock in the evening, about 200 of us will gather around the new church, pray the Supplica, which is prescribed for only two days out of the year, process around the church, and then walk two blocks to our favorite restaurant where the chef will treat us to a Friday-friendly feast fit for king (and Queen.) You won’t want

In December, on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I sent an update to our readers. As we hit the home stretch, now is a good time to revisit her maternal words — “Am I not here, I, who am your mother?” Let us respond with trusting generosity to her loving call. Thanks to your faithful support, we have raised over 80% of the total funds for Phase II. This May, we're launching our 2026 Fundraising Campaign. The goal is to reach $7,000,000 by August 15th. This would put us i

“100% chance of rain at 5pm.” I check a text message from a choir member and look out the window two hours before showtime: overcast clouds - not good! Fr. Gardner offers the Votive Mass of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary with the Blessed Virgin's Banner on display. My son John and I in procession I wasn't too worried, though. When you start your day with a Missa Cantata it can't really be that bad. Hello everyone, my name is Alex Walker, and I help out Fr. Thomas manage the Pomp

Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii, Last night was outstanding. For those who were unable to be there in person, I'll recap a few of the highlights and updates. We received a check for over a million dollars. We will call the anonymous person "Bartolo Longo." Fr. Gardner does us the honor of unveiling the reinvigorated painting of the sacred image of Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Lord and Lady's crowns are now adorned with Swarovski crystals and the new deep hues are vastly r

We recently toured Precast and Restoration Services, Inc . in Jacksonville, FL to see how the stone veneer of the church was made. A special thanks to James Malenfant for helping us get the exact match. North Florida is not exactly known for natural rock quarries, and many have wondered where would we get the stone needed to encase the new mechanical room to match the existing limestone. Well, 103 years ago, a newspaper article memorialized the creative secret. Our predecesso

Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii, As we prepare for the Sacred Triduum, I look at things a little differently this year. Yes, the beautiful ceremonies are the same, but they are the end of a chapter in this chapel's history. Thursday will be the last time the Carpenter Gothic altar is stripped and readorned on the Third Day. Good Friday will be the last time the Crucifixes on the Rood Beam and back wall are unveiled during the adoration of the Cross. Saturday Night will be

The following Florida Times-Union article was published on March 4, 1923 The cornerstone of the Church of the Holy Rosary will be laid with appropriate services this afternoon at 3:00 o'clock. This new edifice will be erected on the corner of Laura Street and Cottage avenue. The impressive ceremony will be performed by Rt. Rev. Patrick Barry, bishop of the diocese of St. Augustine, assisted by the priests belonging to the different parishes of Jacksonville. Rev. Michael Ma

Bishop Barry Officiates; Large Crowd The following Jacksonville Journal article was published on March 5, 1923 A large crowd attended the ceremonies Sunday afternoon of the laying of the cornerstone of the new church of the Holy Rosary performed by the the RT. Rev. Patrick Barry. Assisting him were Knights of Columbus council number 648 and Bishop Kinney council of South Jacksonville, Troops 5 and 28. Boy scouts of America, were out for the ceremonies. The ceremony performe

The following Florida Times-Union article was published on February 19, 1986 By Barbara White, Staff Writer When he suffered a heart attack last year, Monsignor Andrew Shashy asked God to let him live to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. He celebrated that anniversary Sunday with a Mass and reception at Christ the King Catholic Church in Jacksonville. Afterward, Father Shashy had a heart attack. He died yesterday in Baptist Medical Center.

The following Jacksonville Journal article was published on February 25, 1961 By George Harmon, Journal Religion Editor -On March 05- A Roman Catholic minister who is the only one of his type in the United States will be honored here on March 5 at religious and social events marking the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. He is Rev. Andrew George Shashy, only priest of the Syrian rite of the Catholic Church in this country. Father Shashy has ministered t

Church of Holy Rosary Scene of Ceremonies The following Jacksonville Journal article was published September 23, 1944 A special high mass will be celebrated in the Church of the Holy Rosary at 11 o'clock tomorrow morning, by the Rev. Joseph Eid, celebrated author and linguist and pastor of St. Anthony's Church of the Desert, Fall River, Mass. Father Eid, who will conduct the mass in the Maronite Catholic rite, was brought to Jacksonville at the request of Lebanese and Sy