Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School has come a long way since its infancy when a small building (the Parish Hall) existed at the rear of the church near Congregational Street. The old Parish Hall is just a sweet memory, and the school (now located at the corner of State and High Street) has become an educational asset to those who have attended and prospered from its Catholic culture throughout the decades.

On Sunday, Sept. 11, Mt. Carmel School will celebrate its 70th anniversary, starting with 10:30 a.m. Mass, with the Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of the Diocese of Providence as the main celebrant. Bishop Tobin will also lead in the rededication ceremonies of the school, followed by a reception inside the Monsignor John W. Lolio Hall.

“In addition to the complimentary luncheon, we’ll tour the school and revisit the classrooms.” said event organizer Robert W. McKenna, longtime OLMC parishioner and a past Chief Marshal (with his wife, Donna) of the parish’s annual feast. “We’re hoping for a good turnout. All Mt. Carmel School graduates are invited to attend the services and luncheon.”

McKenna added, “The School Board and Organizing Committee did their best to get up-to-date addresses for alums. We want all alums to know they are invited.”

History tells us that the Rev. Joseph Sorzana, the second pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, was the one who planned for a parish school with a first-grade class in the old Parish Hall in September of 1950. Less than a year later, in July of 1951, saw the groundbreaking ceremony for the new school, which was subsequently completed and dedicated in September of 1952.

Many great people associated with Mt. Carmel School have come and gone, but not before leaving their imprint on this educational award-winning institution.

The Rev. Henry P. Zinno Jr., the pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, may not have been involved with the original construction of the school, but his positive impact has certainly been felt along the way.

“For the 70 years the school has been in existence, I have been part of it for 30 years,” he said, “Teaching Latin and Religion, facilitating the administration, saying First Friday Masses, being available to students and teachers alike when they need to talk, and trying to be a good shepherd of souls.”

He continued, “Having a parish with a school is a great joy. A school always brings life, energy, and vitality to a parish. So many things have happened while I have been a part of OLMC School. Pre K 3 & 4 were added, 160 solar panels were put on top of our gym roof, security cameras have been installed, the library was enlarged and moved to the vacant meeting room in the rectory, computer technology has been upgraded several times, the convent was leased to Providence College so that teachers getting their Master’s Degree could live there and teach in our school and area Catholic Schools. It has been a great joy to be part of this wonderful school and parish community.”

For Father Jonathan DeFelice, a native Bristolian and President Emeritus of St. Anselm College, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School has special meaning.

“I remember that very soon after the school opened, Father Joseph Sorzana, the pastor, spoke to us and said something to the effect: ‘We built this school so that when you grow up, you won't do to other people what they did to us.' It was later in life that I learned the difficulties the Italian community had in first purchasing the land and then getting the school built. He was telling us that prejudice was not part of what it was to be a Catholic. A lesson for life.”

He added, “I remember with great affection my first-grade teacher, Sister Laura Longo, M.P.F. who is still living. We have stayed in touch over these nearly 70 years and she is gratefully still in good health. I credit her warm demeanor with getting us all interested in reading and arithmetic. Sister Tomasina Moffo, M.P.F., the first principal, could be very strict; but she called us to succeed and advance probably far more than we would have chosen to do on our own. Sister Tomasina ministered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel remarkably from 1940 before there was a school until 1963. Sister Concetta Russo, M.P.F., who succeeded her not only continued but advanced the school's commitment to excellence in Catholic education.”