A bearing isolator assembly for sealing a rotating shaft with a porous sealing element including a rotor configured to sealingly engage with a shaft, and a stator configured to sealingly engage with a housing of an assembly. The rotor and stator are configured to engage with each other to define a labyrinthine pathway and one or more cavities, in which may be disposed a unitizing element and a porous sealing element. The porous sealing element provides a barrier to particulate contaminants from entering the interior of the housing, and to prevent egress of lubricants from the interior of the housing. The unitizing element limits axial and/or radial movement of the rotor with respect to the stator, and helps prevent wear of the rotor and/or stator by helping prevent the rotor from contacting the stator during operation.