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This is a challenging problem to solve, because each portlet has its own FacesContext ThreadLocal singleton, each one containing its own set of FacesMessages.

What JSF bridge are you using? If you're using the Sun OpenPortal JSF Portlet Bridge (jsf-portlet.jar) then you might be able to extend the FacesPortlet, and override the processAction() method. Before the FacesContext.release() method is called, you could save-off the FacesMessages contained in the FacesContext and add them to an attribute in the PortletSession.APPLICATION_SCOPE. That way, when it comes time for the portlet at the top of the page to render itself, it could examine the attribute in PortletSession.APPLICATION_SCOPE and display the list of messages.