Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Our Lady of the Rosary Church marks 100 years
The church moved to a new building 50 years ago, but the original building has been maintained
The Coatesville house of worship has moved, but its original building has been maintained.
COATESVILLE » A lot of things have changed in the past 100 years, but the members of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church have held strong with their faith in the city where the church first began. The church even got a new building 50 years ago at 17th Avenue and Oak Street, but the original church building remains standing in good shape where it’s always been at 533 Coates Street.
About 50 people gathered at this church, which is now the location of Holy Tabernacle Church, on Thursday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Our Lady of the Rosary. Members of both churches, most from Our Lady of the Rosary, were present for the momentous occasion.
At the beginning of the event, Our Lady of the Rosary member Peter DiMaio talked about how the church was founded and built by Italian immigrants in 1917. Many members of the church worked at Lukens Steel. DiMaio noted that the first five priests of the church were ordained in Italy.
Mike Filoromo mentioned that his grandfather had helped build the church.
A fresco painted on the wall behind the church’s altar is still intact 100 years later.
DiMaio said all the stories he’s heard from church members have been inspiring. Many of those present were baptized at the church and had their first Communion and confirmation there; some were even married at the original church building.
Al Romanelli recalled his wedding to his wife Linda on a hot summer day in July 16, 1966. She was an hour late to the wedding because their photographer was taking photo of her, and they had no way to call and let everyone else know because no one had cellphones back then, he said.
Ted Corbo, who is almost 90 years old, said he grew up in the church, and he remembers when he was a kid, he would walk to the church with his family all the way from Eighth Avenue every Sunday.
Barbara McInerney said she was baptized at Our Lady of the Rosary and also got married there. Most of her family were members of the church too.
“I made one last trip up the front steps today,” she said.
Deb Gentile-Ward said she was a flower girl in her aunt’s wedding at Our Lady of the Rosary, and her grandmother would bring her to the church
for Easter Mass.
Anthony Massarotti, who grew up in Coatesville, mentioned that his father immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1923. “In those days, a lot of Italian immigrants lived on Coates Street,” he said.
DiMaio presented gifts on behalf of Our Lady of the Rosary to Holy Tabernacle member Charlotte Parr and Rev. Ronald Savage, including a church bulletin and two $50 gift cards to the flower shop in Coatesville – representing the 50 years each church had spent at the building.
After the event, church members went to Fuel City Café on East Lincoln Highway for coffee. Donations were given to Fathers Involved Shedding Hope (FISH), an annual fish rodeo held at Brandywine Creek in the city to teach area youth how to fish.
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