About Our Lady of Mt. Carmel · Bristol, Rhode Island
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Roman Catholic parish in the heart of Bristol, Rhode Island, belonging to the Diocese of Providence. Founded in 1917 to serve the Italian Catholic immigrants of Bristol, the parish grew out of an annual feast honoring Our Lady of Mount Carmel that the Italian community had been celebrating since 1899. Today the parish serves about 1,600 registered families of many heritages (with deep Italian roots), runs an associated parish school for grades Pre-K through 8, and ministers as the Catholic chaplaincy at Roger Williams University in Bristol.
- Established
- 1917
- Patron
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Mary, Queen of Carmel)
- Rector
- Very Reverend Henry P. Zinno Jr.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Providence
Why belong here
OLMC is one of Bristol's oldest Catholic parishes, founded by Italian immigrants in 1917 and still centered on the Eucharist, family, and Catholic education. With roughly 1,600 families, an on-site Pre-K–8 school, weekly devotions to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Ann, St. Anthony, and St. Jude, Saturday confessions, and a parish-run Catholic chaplaincy at Roger Williams University, it offers both a traditional Sunday Mass schedule and an active devotional and sacramental life that newcomers can plug into right away.
Mass times at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Every Saturday at 4:00 PM (or anytime upon request)
Welcome & Identity
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church sits at 141 State Street in the heart of Bristol, Rhode Island. The parish describes itself as a Catholic parish of about 1,600 families that operates a Pre-K–8 parish school and ministers as the Catholic chaplaincy at Roger Williams University in Bristol. Although founded for and by the Italian Catholics of Bristol in 1917, the community today draws from many heritages while still honoring its Italian roots — most visibly through the annual Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel each July 16.
Parish History
The parish traces its life back to 1899, when Italian Catholic immigrants in Bristol — many drawn to work in the town's rubber and textile mills — began an annual feast and procession on July 16 in honor of Mary, Queen of Carmel. Eighteen years later, in 1917, the community built its own church at 141 State Street, establishing Our Lady of Mount Carmel as a parish of the Diocese of Providence alongside the older Irish St. Mary's parish (Wood and State Streets) and the Portuguese St. Elizabeth's parish (575 Wood Street, 1913). The 1966 Golden Jubilee Year history of the parish remains an important documentary record of those first fifty years.
- 1899 — Italian community begins annual July 16 feast in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- 1917 — Parish formally established; church built at 141 State Street
- 1913 — St. Elizabeth's founded earlier for Bristol's Portuguese community
- 1966 — 'Golden Jubilee Year' parish history published
- 2002 — Fr. Henry P. Zinno Jr. named pastor
- 2014 — School transitions from religious-sister to lay administration
The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Since 1899, the Italian Catholic community of Bristol has marked the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16 with prayerful and joyous festivities. The parish and its school continue that tradition today, making the annual feast one of the most distinctive devotional events on the Bristol Catholic calendar and a living link to the parish's Italian-immigrant origins.
- Annual Mass and procession in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Continues a tradition begun by Bristol's Italian immigrants in 1899
- Wednesday novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Ann at 7:00 AM weekly
Novenas & Devotions
In addition to its regular Mass and confession schedule, Our Lady of Mount Carmel keeps a steady rhythm of weekly novena devotions connected to its weekday Masses.
- St. Anthony and St. Jude Novena — Tuesdays at 7:00 AM
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Ann Novena — Wednesdays at 7:00 AM
OLMC School (Pre-K through Grade 8)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School has been a central mission of the parish for generations. Run out of the parish complex in Bristol's historic district — beside the Bristol Town Common and the parish church — the school serves Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 under Principal Jessica L. Carlson and the pastoral leadership of Fr. Henry P. Zinno Jr. After more than 60 years of religious-sister leadership, the school transitioned to lay administration in 2014. The pastor himself teaches 7th- and 8th-grade religion in the school, and the school now employs fifteen full-time and ten part-time staff.
- Grades: Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4, Kindergarten, and Grades 1–8
- Principal: Ms. Jessica L. Carlson
- Pastor: Very Rev. Henry P. Zinno Jr. (also teaches middle-school religion)
- 2014: Transitioned from religious-sister to lay administration
- 2023: Smart TVs installed in every classroom
- 2024: Middle-school science lab modernized into a state-of-the-art learning hub
Parish School Board
Fr. Zinno serves on the parish school board, supporting the principal on matters of Catholic identity, academics, and the long-term health of the school.
Roger Williams University Chaplaincy
Beyond its own families and school families, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is responsible for the Catholic chaplaincy at Roger Williams University in Bristol, extending the parish's pastoral reach to the college students on campus.
- Catholic chaplaincy at Roger Williams University
- Listed as part of the parish's regular apostolate on the parish website
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the usual sacraments of a Catholic parish. Baptisms are celebrated on the last Sunday of the month by appointment, with a required baptismal class at 11:30 AM the Sunday before. Marriages require contacting the Rectory at least six months to a year in advance. Reconciliation is offered Saturdays at 4:00 PM or by request, and the parish provides Anointing of the Sick and pastoral care through the Rectory.
- Baptism — last Sunday of the month by appointment
- Marriage — by appointment, 6–12 months advance notice
- Confession — Saturdays 4:00 PM or by request
- Eucharist — daily and Sunday Masses
- Anointing of the Sick / pastoral care — by contacting the Rectory
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Very Reverend Henry P. Zinno Jr., Pastor, with the assistance of an assistant pastor (named as Reverend Stephen Battey on the parish's own 'Take a Tour' page; a third-party directory also lists Reverend Stephen Dandeneau as assistant pastor). Fr. Zinno is a native Rhode Islander educated at St. Augustine's, Our Lady of Providence High School, Stonehill College, and the University of Louvain in Belgium; he was ordained June 12, 1982, and has served as pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel since 2002.
- Very Rev. Henry P. Zinno Jr. — Pastor
- Rev. Stephen Battey — Assistant Pastor (per parish website)
- Rev. Stephen Dandeneau — Assistant Pastor (per third-party directory)
- Rectory phone: (401) 253-9449
- Parish email: [email protected]
Visit & Contact
Visitors and parishioners can find the parish at 141 State Street in Bristol's historic district, with daily Mass, Saturday confessions, weekly novenas, an active parish school, and the parish-run Catholic chaplaincy at Roger Williams University.
- Address: 141 State Street, Bristol, RI 02809
- Phone: (401) 253-9449
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://olmcbristol.org/
- Facebook: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Bristol, Rhode Island
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Very Rev. Henry P. Zinno Jr.2002–present
A native Rhode Islander educated at St. Augustine's, Our Lady of Providence High School, Stonehill College, and the University of Louvain (Belgium); ordained June 12, 1982; previously assistant pastor at St. Philip's and at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, then pastor of Holy Ghost before returning to OLMC in 2002. Strong supporter of Catholic education; teaches religion in the school.