About 200 parishioners and others celebrated their Italian-American heritage and the consecration of one of the county’s oldest Roman Catholic churches Sunday. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, part of Our Lady of Peace Parish, turned 120 years old Sunday, and members of its congregation were treated to a special Mass followed by an Italian wedding feast.
Father Raymond Thomas, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, said the 120th anniversary had special significance. “In 1897, Father Joseph Smith of Mother of Sorrows Church saw a need for a church for the newly arrived Italian community, which was growing,” he said. “It was actually an offshoot of Mother of Sorrows at first.”
