Mother Mary has appeared to her children many times, in different places in the history of the Church. During her apparitions she has given many messages to her children, followers of her son, to name a few, to repent, and to accept Jesus as the Saviour of the world, to pray the Rosary, in the 12th Century she gave the Rosary to St. Dominic as un instrument to experience her Motherly Protection.
The church has given her many titles based on the message she gave and the place where she appeared. In 1872 She appeared to Bartholo Longo in the Valley of Pompei. Bartholo Longo was born to Catholic Parents. His mother taught him to pray the Rosary. Unfortunately he lost his mother when he was a teenager. As a young man, while studying in the University he was influenced by staff and students, who were expressing strong Anti clerical feeling and sentiments and believing in spiritualism ie believing in the spirits of the dead and evil spirits, for sometime Bartholo longo became part of this group but was not happy, didn’t have peace of mind, once he visited the Valley of Pompei on some business commitment. The Valley was full of people, leading immoral life given to dancing and drinking. Bartholo had a vision. Mother Mary said to him, if you are seeking after peace and happiness pray the Rosary. Since then Bartholo became the ambassador of Rosary with the Power of Rosary he changed the valley of Pompei from immoral people to faithful children of Our Lady of Pompei.
Very soon this devotion spread to Europe and Asia. In 1895 on January 25th an altar was erected in honour of Our Lady of Pompei in Urwa Church. To commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of the enshrinement of Our Lady of Pompei, Fr Fred V Pereira, parish priest of Urwa church, planned to build a new shrine. The laying stone of this memorial was blessed by Fr. F.P.S Moniz on 4th December 1994.In 1995 a shrine was built as a centenary memorial. Every day hundreds of people visit the shrine belonging to different faith, Creed and Caste, School children to senior citizens. Our Lady of Pompei. “Pompei Mate” as she is popularly invoked blesses her children, grants them peace of mind and happiness and specially her motherly affection and care. No one goes back sad after a visit to her.
Every year on the 2nd Sunday of December we celebrate the annual feast. Thousands of devotees of “Pompie Mathe’, Our Lady of Pompei visit the shrine.
