In July, Cleveland’s historic Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood celebrated a milestone: the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish (West). In the late 1800s, many Italian families settled on Cleveland’s West Side, bringing with them deep devotions to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Saint Anthony, and Saint Rocco. Fr. Sante Gattuso, a Mercedarian Friar from the Diocese of Youngstown, arrived in the area in 1924 and began meeting with the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mutual Help Society.
Soon, a makeshift chapel took shape in a storefront belonging to the Fasano family. A small statue of Our Lady was placed inside, and the women of the neighborhood gathered nightly to pray the rosary, their prayers united by a shared hope for a permanent church of their own.
