Parish History

History of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel - St. Anthony of Padua Parish

In 1908, the number of Italian immigrants living in Youngstown necessitated two Catholic Churches decided to serve the needs of the immigrants. St. Anthony of Padua, the existing Italian Catholic Church in Brier Hill, reached out to support their immigrant brothers and sisters living in East Youngstown, and assisted them in building their own church, under the patronage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. By 1913, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church became a parish of its own.

A hundred years later, in 2012, through the directives of Bishop George Murry, SJ, the two churches merged under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – St. Anthony of Padua Parish.  This new parish name honors the history and memories of both churches, and most importantly, the patron saints who the parishioners have been so devoted to for generations.

Msgr. Michael J. Cariglio Jr. has served as the first Pastor of this new Parish for 13 years.

History of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica stands on a hill on Via Mount Carmel (formerly Summit Avenue) in the heart of Youngstown, Ohio. It is a historically Italian ethnic parish, which stands as a symbol of the Italo-American heritage.

In 1908, Rev. Emmanuel Stabile, the Pastor at St. Anthony of Padua Church in the Brier Hill District of Youngstown, was asked to begin a mission church in East Youngstown, to minister to the Italians who were attending St. Columba Cathedral and Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church. The excavation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel began in October 1909, resulting in a 79 foot long basement rising several feet from the ground. This basement was roofed and used for the church.

Upon Fr. Stabile’s early death in 1911, Rev. Vito Franco was appointed Pastor of both St. Anthony of Padua Church and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. When Our Lady of Mount Carmel reached parochial status in 1913, Fr. Franco was named its first resident Pastor. 

On July 20, 1913, the basement church roof was opened and work on the new church began. The immigrant community was inspired by the vision of a new, beautiful church and many stepped forward to donate their time and skills. The church was dedicated on November 4, 1916, a genuine symbol of Catholic faith and the spirit of the Italian immigrant community.

The women of the parish came together under the title of Mothers of the Crucifix in 1917 in prayer, fellowship, and with the will to do good for the church. They continue to meet regularly to this day.

On June 12, 1923, a fire struck the church. Among the scars of the destructive fire was the loss of the beautiful Holkamp Pipe Organ, which had been donated in part by the millionaire Andrew Carnegie, and in part by the faithful.  Also damaged or completely destroyed were the artistic windows, pews, ten statues, three altars, the carpeting, floor, candelabra, brass chandeliers, and other cherished church articles. However, the congregation came together again and the church was restored in a few short months. It was rededicated on December 16, 1923.

Time passed and the flock of Our Lady of Mount Carmel grew in faith, hope and love under the watchful eye of its pastor, now Msgr. Franco. After many fruitful years with his Italian people, and having joyfully celebrated his 50th anniversary of priesthood, the aged Monsignor Franco entered into his eternal rest on September 13, 1961.

Rev. Henry Fabrizio succeeded Monsignor Franco in 1961. Under Fr. Fabrizio’s able leadership and persevering vigor, a new generation of parishioners, along with the senior faithful, bought parcels of property and turned them into a beautiful setting for their diamond: Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

To assist him in this work, the men of the parish came together and formed the Vestibule Club. For over sixty years, the Vestibule Club has raised funds for the parish, and have been instrumental in helping the pastors purchase the properties around the church.

In 1963, Fr. Fabrizio and the congregation brought to completion a new rectory and a large social hall with classrooms for religious and cultural education. A shrine garden in honor of St. Anthony was also added to Mount Carmel’s beautiful grounds in 1971. Fr. Fabrizio’s work – the  new rectory, parish center and the St. Anthony Garden – were a successful effort on his part to halt the parishioner exodus to the suburbs. Following these accomplishments, and due to an unfortunate illness, Fr. Fabrizio retired from active ministry in 1973.

On July 3, 1973, Rev. Joseph Leo Iati accepted the pastorate. The new pastor and his flock accepted the challenge to build and renew the Christian community. Fr. Iati’s pastorate brought the restoration of the altars, frescoes and the installation of a new pipe organ. There are many treasures of art within the church, which is a living sign of adoration and praise to Almighty God through the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Many deserve thanks for their help, including Mr. Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. and family, Mr. William Cafaro and family, and Carmen and Rose Ambrosiol.

History of St. Anthony of Padua Church

In the United States, years ago, the basic reason for a personal or national parish to exist was to help the immigrant in the difficult transitions religiously, socially, and economically.

In 1898, the Most Reverend Ignatius Horstmann, Bishop of Cleveland, recognized the need for the Italian immigrants in Youngstown to be able to worship together. Rev. Antonio Petillo was given the task of  bringing together the Italian-speaking families of Youngstown. Fr. Petillo purchased the structure that had formerly been St. Ann’s Church, located on West Federal Street, in the Brier Hill district of Youngstown, and rededicated under the patronage of St. Anthony of Padua. The Italian-speaking community quickly came together to make St. Anthony’s “their own church.”

Rev. Carlo Doria was appointed the second Pastor of St. Anthony Church in 1901. Under his administration, the parish flourished. When he became ill a few years later, he took in an itinerant young priest, Fr. Luigi Lops. When Fr. Doria passed away in early 1907, and the Bishop decided not to assign Fr. Lops as the new Pastor, the parish community was divided. With the help of those loyal to him, Fr. Lops established a new church on Calvin Street – St. Rocco’s. Brier Hill now had two Italian nationality churches – St. Anthony’s, which was in communion with Rome and St. Rocco’s, which was not.

In this midst of this chaos, Rev. Emmanuel Stabile was assigned to St. Anthony’s. He did his best to educate his parishioners that to be a Roman Catholic, one had to belong to a church that was under the local bishop who was in union with the Holy Father, the Pope. During this time, Fr. Stabile also established a mission church dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in East Youngstown. Fr. Stabile was Pastor for four years, until 1911.

From May 1911 to March 1913, Rev. Vito Franco was Pastor of St. Anthony Church. The parish now had a school with the Sisters of the Humility of Mary staffing it.  When Our Lady of Mount Carmel came to be of parochial status, Fr. Franco became the first resident priest there, with Rev. Nicholas Giannantonio taking over the pastorate of St. Anthony’s.

Rev. Edward Spitzig became Pastor in January 1915 and guided the parish through the First World War, until October 1921. In October 1921, two Fathers of the Order of the Divine Mercy were assigned to St. Anthony’s as “co-pastors”: Rev. Martin Campagno and Rev. P. Sante Gattuso. They were both transferred to St. Rocco’s Church in Cleveland in January 1924.

Rev. Alberto Spina served as the Pastor for three years, from February 1924 to February 1927. His reputation was that of a very loving and holy man, who was deeply loved by the parish community. Fr. Spina was succeeded by Rev. Americo Ciampichinni. During Fr. Ciampichinni’s six year pastorate the Depression set in, hitting Youngstown hard, and making the Church a source of solace for the struggling parish families.

In 1933, Bishop Schrembs decided to combine St. Anthony’s with St. Ann’s Church, as one Parish. Fr. Ciampichinni was the Pastor of the combined Parish and Fr. Cacciacaro became his assistant. Both St. Ann’s and St. Anthony’s were in fiscally hard times, brought on by the Depression. The Bishop thought that combining the two churches would alleviate some of this hardship. However, both the Irish parishioners at St. Ann’s and the Italian parishioners from St. Anthony’s were very attached to their ethnic identity and found the merger difficult. A group of Italians met with the Bishop and asked him to re-open St. Anthony’s; a request that was granted in 1935, with Rev. Humbert Crescentini assigned as the new Pastor.

At this time, there were three Italian parishes in the Valley – St. Anthony’s, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and St. Lucy’s in Campbell. Fr. Crescentini’s task of rebuilding St. Anthony’s was monumental. He had the reputation of being a very holy and intelligent priest, who was sought out as a spiritual director and confessor for many priests in the Diocese. His primary objective was to bring people closer to God. For 24 years, Fr. Crescentini served the parish community of St. Anthony’s, assisted in his later years by two young priests, Frs. Fred Anzivino and Peter Faini.

With the end of the Second World War, St. Anthony of Padua Church began to realize its cherished plans to improve their church building. By 1949, a fine new Parish Hall was completed. Unfortunately, around the same time, Federal funds became available to cities throughout the country to improve and rebuild many older metropolitan areas – including the neighborhood around St. Anthony Church. The original St. Anthony Church was slated for demolition. Fr. Crescentini began to raise funds for a new Church and School, and its current site on Turin Avenue was chosen.

In 1959, the new construction was completed. The magnificent new St. Anthony Church, School, and Rectory, was built at a cost of $800,000 dollars and incalculable devoted man-hours of love, attracted national attention. For the opening term of the new school in September 1959, approximately 230 students were enrolled, under the tutorage of the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Fr. Crescentini lived to see the dedication of the new church building in October, passing away in November 1959.

Fr. Peter J. Faini took on the administration of St. Anthony’s parish. He was a well-loved priest, who passed away on October 18, 1973, at the age of 54.

On December 7, 1973, Rev. John H. DeMarinis, 36 years of age, was appointed pastor of St. Anthony’s Church. While the new St. Anthony Church and school were designed to meet the needs of a growing parish, Fr. DeMarinis faced the reality of an economic depression and exodus from the area, brought on by the collapse of the steel industry in the Valley between 1977 and 1983. Extensive repairs were required to maintain the buildings that were now not-so-new. Under Fr. DeMarinis’ leadership, the parish men came together to assist the roofers in replacing the roofs, and parishioners came together to make St. Anthony’s Pizza and Easter Bread to raised funds, which they continue to today.

In 1995, St. Anthony School, which had been run by the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus since 1959, was closed due to a lack of enrollment and a lack of funds.  Msgr. Michael J. Cariglio Jr., Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, became the Administrator of St. Anthony of Padua Church in 2010, as Msgr. DeMarinis’ health was failing. Msgr. DeMarinis passed away on June 12, 2011, on the Vigil of the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua.

In September 2011, St. Joseph the Provider School moved from Campbell to the old St. Anthony School building. 

In 2012, the two historically Italian churches in Youngstown became one parish, under the name Our Lady of Mount Carmel – St. Anthony of Padua Parish.

St. Anthony’s Church continues to serve the needs of the people in the Brier Hill district and those whose families have faithfully worshipped there.