A Brief History of St. Rocco Parish
A brief history of Saint Rocco Parish is provided below. (It is still a work in progress.) Please contact the parish rectory regarding more in-depth and detailed historical information about the history of Saint Rocco Parish in Cleveland, Ohio.
Early Beginnings
Saint Rocco Parish originated as a group of Italian immigrants that raised money for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel of 1914 that was celebrated in Noicattaro, Bari, Italy. In 1915 these immigrants wanted to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel here in America. Due to late communications with family in Noicattaro, the feast for Saint Rocco was celebrated on the first Sunday in September. Subsequent festivals have been celebrated since then.
In 1917, Bishop John P. Farrelly assigned Father Damian Leone of Blessed Sacrement Church to minister the spiritual needs of the Italian community on Cleveland's west side. Father Leone ministered to the Italian community until he was placed on sick leave in 1918. During that time, a small church was built on a donated single-house plot of land on Trent Avenue by the people in the neighborhood. Between 1918 and 1924 the struggling community of Saint Rocco relied on visiting priests and ministers for their spiritual needs. In 1924 Archbishop Joseph Schrembs invited the Fathers of Our Lady of Mercy to staff the parish. Father Sante Gattuso and Father Martin Campagno arrived from Saint Anthony Parish of Youngstown, Ohio, and started to organize the fledgling parish.
Foundation of Saint Rocco Parish
Shortly after the Saint Rocco community was recognized as a parish of the Diocese of Cleveland, work began on building a church and a school. Parishioners were initially hesitant and skeptical due to the transient support from prior Catholic priests and the Diocese of Cleveland. Under Father Gattuso's leadership as the second pastor of Saint Rocco, community involvement for the parish grew considerably. Financial obligations incurred from past administrations were met. The Mission of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (which later became Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish on West 70th Street and Detroit Avenue) was also opened to service the spiritual needs of the Italian community that lived on Detroit Avenue. This construction of Saint Rocco Church and School was completed by December 1926 with the dedication of the school.
After seeing members of Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity frequent the Mission of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Father Gattuso contacted Mother House of the Trinitarian Sisters located in Bristol, Pennsylvania, asking the Mother Superior if their order would staff Saint Rocco School. The school was staffed by the Sister Mary Benedict, Mother Mary Theresa, and Sister Catherine in 1927. In 1928 a rectory was built along with an additional classroom for the school. A convent was purchased for the Trinitarian Sisters in 1929. (Prior to 1929, the Sisters slept in one of the classrooms at night.)
By 1937 the mortage was paid and in 1944 the church bonds were paid in full. Work towards newer and larger church began in 1949. The third church building (the current church) was completed in 1952 through the manual labor and dedication of the parishioners. A new convent was built for the Trinitarian Sisters in 1954.
Parish Organizations
Organizations were established at Saint Rocco Parish to extend the spiritual message to the community and to fulfill the social needs of the parishioners. The first of these organizations is the Holy Family Sodality, which first started in 1920, met until 1922, and was revived by Father Gattuso in 1924. The parish St. Vincent de Paul Society was organized in 1929 to assist those less fortunate in the parish and the community. The St. Rocco Parent-Teacher Unit was founded by Antoinette Manfredi, with Father Gattuso's blessing, in 1932. Other groups followed, such as the Our Lady of Mercy Confraternity in 1935 and the Sante Catholic Union in 1943. The St. Rocco Parish Federal Credit Union was chartered in 1942 to provide its members with financial services at a low cost.
These organization still provide invaluable assistance and support to the spiritual, corporal, and financial needs of St. Rocco Parish today. They assist in parish functions and services, such as the Feast of Saint Rocco, fund raising events for St. Rocco Church and School (Pancake Breakfast, Spaghetti Dinner, Bingo, etc.), and the Good Friday Solemn Procession.
Impact on The Development of Cleveland
Shortly after the building of Saint Rocco Church and School, the Clark-Fulton area of Cleveland became a hub for businesses, providing products and services to the inhabitants of the West Side of Cleveland. Today, many ethnic communities still rely on the businesses surrounding St. Rocco for their consumer needs.
Recent construction projects, such as the building of the Father Michael Contardi Early Childhood Learning Center in August 2008, have caused renewed interest and continuous development of the Clark-Fulton area. The construction and completion of this state-of-the-art facility has prompted interest in building a senior care facility, renovated housing (apartments, houses, and lofts), and new business construction in the area.
Impact on National Affairs
Saint Rocco School has been featured in the New York Times as an example of the State of Ohio voucher program for residents of the City of Cleveland. In June 2002, the United States Supreme Court overturned an appeliate court decision that deemed this program unconstitutional under the separation of church and state. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the voucher program only focuses on the financial needs of the residents of Cleveland, allowing people that qualify under the program to choose any school (not just private, religious schools such as Saint Rocco) that accepted vouchers. This decision has impacted other similar programs in Florida and Wisconsin.