From the Desk of Fr. Thomas - December 2025 Newsletter

Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii,

Where do I begin but to thank God for all of the blessings he has bestowed upon us this past year. In total, we have raised about $4.6M, have not taken out any loans yet, and during our Jubilee Year-End push, have raised about 60% of our stretch-goal. If you are thinking about giving, and haven’t yet, every dollar helps us in our $1M campaign. Christmastide is a miraculous time, so keep saying your Memoraries!

We're 40% Short of Our Goal. Click To Help

Construction updates:

After much anticipation, the sanctuary has a new foundation which can support the necessary 21,470 pounds of Italian Carrara marble. On December 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we embedded the original altar stone from Old Holy Rosary into the foundation.

For Catholics, this symbolism is very rich for two reasons.

1. We, in the present, cannot help but see the future rest on the past. In the same way the Bernini’s altar at the Vatican sits directly above the tomb of St. Peter, incorporating this antique stone into the support of our high altar shows continuity with our predecessors. The same Sacrifice offered on Mt. Calvary two thousand years ago has been offered on that specific stone countless times, and now, we unite all our future Masses with those of the past, transcending time.

2. It is a matter of justice to restore the stone to its telos. Once a bishop consecrates an altar stone, it is imbued to have no other purpose than to serve as the altar in which the Son is sacrificed to the Father. This stone can no longer be used in a profane manner such as a footpath or an end table. If we could not have ensured its future, the next best thing would have been to appropriately destroy it. We are so happy this did not come to pass. As St. Augustine says, to be faithful in the little things is a great thing.

The stone is now directly below where Mass will be offered for another 100 years. Or, if God wills, much longer.

 

The original altar stone was salvaged by our friend Ray Solomon and kept safe for 35 years.

L: The mechanical room is almost finished.

C: The new addition was designed to look seamless.

R: I inspect the new veneer. I'm pleased it is an exact match.

I’d also like to thank Fr. Matthew Mauriello, the Basilica of Pompeii’s American Ambassador, who gave us a conference on St. Bartolo Longo on December 8th. We now have a first hand account of the origin of the second official replica of the miraculous painting. When the Archbishop of Pompeii came to America for a tour in 2010, Father surprised the envoy with his own copy, which was promptly blessed and remained in the States. The image is now under our care for the propagation of the devotion of the Holy Rosary.

L: I had the pleasure of giving Father a tour. He has an open invitation to visit anytime.

C: Fr. Mauriello calls the efforts at our chapel the "Real McCoy."

R: Father and I first met in Pompeii, April 2025 where he gave me a tour of the Papal Basilica of Pompeii.

 

This brings me to my conclusion. A small meditation on why we're here. If our goal is to simply end up with just a pretty church, our mission will fail. Even if we end up with a masterpiece, what would it profit us?

Christ could have been born in the lap of luxury on the throne of King Herod, yet, the Incarnate Word was born poor in a stable. This should tell us what God Almighty desires of us. The true purpose of Pompeii Rising is to turn our hearts into managers and let the Christ Child reign. This is how we will bringing Faith, Hope, and Charity to a desperate world.

Happy New Year,

Fr. Thomas

This month's newsletter comes to us from Patti M. who offered pictures of her parent’s wedding in 1957. Looking at the picture, I first noticed all of the candles, but then I noticed other details. In the wide shot of the sanctuary we see there were murals painted in the apse, undoubtedly of St. Dominic receiving the Holy Rosary from the Blessed Virgin. Furthermore, I see we have two out of the nine windows above the high altar in our possession. My challenge to our readers is to find more pictures of the interior of the church. Larger pictures may help us identify more original stained glass windows.

Top: The bride and groom, Theresa and Lawrence, start the rest of their lives together. And to think, we already have our first wedding at Our Lady of Pompeii planned. We can’t wait to see happy couples walking under both the beautiful carving and showers of rice.

 

Bottom Left: A beautiful Nuptial Mass.

• Top rectangle: Mural of St. Dominic

• Lower left window: Baptismal Shell

• Top middle window: Holy Eucharist

Center Right: The light shining through the baptismal shell window is stunning. It's in safekeeping for reinstallation.

 

Bottom Right: The stained glass of the Most Holy Eucharist is currently framed above our Crucifix at our current chapel.

I love hearing from you. If you have a story of how Our Lady of Pompeii has touched our life or a connection to Old Holy Rosary, please write to me at info@pompeiirising.org for a chance to be featured in next month’s mailbag.