Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church represents the heritage of the Italian-American Catholics that came to Youngstown in the 1870s. The congregation was conceived in 1908 by father Emmanuel Stabile. It wasn't until November 4th, 1916 that construction of the Church was completed, before that the congregation had been using the basements of other local churches to hold services. Tragedy struck the summer of 1923 when a fire decimated the interior of the church, causing the loss of a Holkamp Pipe Organ donated by Andrew Carnegie; however, it was quickly restored thanks to the efforts of the community. The Church has seen minor changes throughout the decade and still stands today as an active community center.

Images

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church as it currently stands.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church interior

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church has deep roots in the Youngstown area. The church was completed on November 4th, 1916, however, Catholicism in the Mahoning valley can trace its origins to decades in the past.

The first Italian immigrants came to the Youngstown area in the 1870’s. Came into the area in order to break strikes that were occurring in the local coal mines. This immigration laid the foundation for father Emmanuel Stabile to bring his congregation and begin work on Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in 1908. The church was finished in 1916. However, tragedy struck the congregation in June of 1923. A fire of unknown origin ravages the interior of the church. The losses for the church included the interior of the building, as well as a Holkamp Pipe Organ that had been donated by Andrew Carnegie.

The church quickly came together in order to restore the building, and on December 16th, 1923, the Mount Carmel church reopened its doors. Our Lady of Mount Carmel continued to add new additions throughout the decades. In 1963 father Fabrizio completed construction on a new rectory, as well as a social hall that could be used to house classrooms. Fabrizio also completed a shrine garden in 1971 dedicated to Saint Anthony. In 1990 Monsignor Cariglio completed the construction of a 10-foot tall statue dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The most recent addition of the church came in 2001 when Carigilo constructed a tower to be used as an elevator to be more handicap accessible.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church still serves 1175 members of the Youngstown Catholic community. It stands as a monument to the history of the Catholic faith in the Youngstown area.

Sources

About Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica, http://olmcsta.com. Accessed September 25th 2019. http://olmcsta.com/about-our-parish/about-our-lady-of-mount-carmel-basilica/.

Simmons, David A. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church . National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form . Published May 10th 1979. United States Department of the Interior .

Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://www.strolloarchitects.com/project/our-lady-of-mt-carmel/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/270145677618702045/?lp=true