Our Lady of Pompei was a Roman Catholic church ministering to the community of Highlandtown in Baltimore, Maryland since 1923.
Our Lady of Pompei is the only church in Baltimore founded and built by Italian immigrants. In the 1920s, the Vincentian father, Fr. Luigi Scialdone, C.M, planted the seeds that sprouted into a church serving the Highlandtown community. Rooted in its Italian heritage, grown through the years with American culture, and now branched out to immigrants once again, Our Lady of Pompei stood true to its missionary roots for 101 years.
Since the early 2000s, Our Lady of Pompei has worked with Operazione Mato Grosso (Operation Mato Grosso or OMG), an Italian led missionary group who has been helping poor areas in South America. The work of OMG is to educate and involve the youth in charity for those in need. The group has formed volunteer groups in the Baltimore area and Our Lady of Pompei was the central hub for the missionary work. They now do work around Baltimore and have a presence at St. Philip Neri in Linthicum.
The missions in Peru open schools and teach the locals. They support the artists by selling their beautiful work to churches and for personal purchase. You can read more about Operation Mato Gross and there artisanal work here:
https://www.artesanosdonbosco.com/
Through the years, compromised of Italians, Americans, and Latinos, our Our Lady of Pompei was a thriving multicultural and intergenerational faith community.
The feast day for Our Lady of Pompei is celebrated on the first weekend in October.
Pastors of the Parish since 1923
Rev. Luigi Scialdone, C.M. (founder)
Rev. Giuseppe Tomaselli, C.M.
Rev. Roberto Petti, C.M.
Rev. Luigi Esposito, C.M. (1984-2018)
Rev. Giuliano Gargiulo, O.M.G (Administrator, 2018-2022)
Rev. Claudio Piccolongo, O.M.G (2022 - 2024)