Did Father Caramello ever imagine his beloved Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church serving such a diverse community? Here we stand before Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church. It stands as a testament to the ever-changing landscape of Seattle. More than a century ago, this church was the heart of Seattle’s Italian community in the Mount Baker neighborhood. In 1915, around 215 Italian families called this area home. Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church was a central hub. New immigrants sought information on jobs and housing. They came to make friends and nurture their spiritual needs.
The story of Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church began with a small German church built in the 1890s. It was named St. Boniface. By 1910, the neighborhood’s demographics shifted. Italian families began to populate the area. They desired a church reflecting their own heritage. Bishop Edward O’Dea entrusted the Jesuits with ministering to these new immigrants. Father De Rop celebrated the first mass in Italian at St. Boniface in 1911. He soon renamed it Our Lady of Mount Virgin. This was a tribute to the Montevergine monastery in Italy.
In 1913, Father Ludovico Caramello, a charismatic Jesuit priest from Turin, took the helm. He envisioned a grander church in the Florentine style. He also dreamt of a school. Despite an initial collection of only 35 cents, Father Caramello persevered. Thanks to his connections in Italy, the new Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church opened its doors in 1915. It was a Renaissance Revival style building, perched on a hill overlooking gardens. It boasted tall arched stained-glass windows and a bell tower. The old St. Boniface church served briefly as a parish hall. It later became a gym, kindergarten, and workshop before being demolished around 1970.
A parochial school opened in 1918 with 162 students. The Dominican Sisters of Tacoma managed the school. It operated for over 60 years. Education was paramount for these immigrant families. They saw it as a path to a better life for their children. Father Caramello, devoted to his parishioners, ensured the children retained their Italian heritage. He provided weekly Italian lessons at the school. He remained pastor until his death in 1949.
The neighborhood transformed significantly over the years. The construction and expansion of the I-90 Mount Baker tunnel displaced parish families. The school closed in 1978. By the 1980s, many Italian-American families had moved away, causing church attendance to decline. However, new immigrant groups, including Laotian, Hmong, Khmu, Vietnamese, and Chinese refugees, revitalized the community. Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church once again became a beacon of hope, offering mass in multiple languages. Seattle’s Native American community also found a home here. The church continues its mission of support and comfort, adapting to the evolving needs of its diverse congregation.