Biography of Rev. Dominic Dellarole

In the parish of Our Lady of Loreto, in Providence, Rhode Island, Rev. Dominic Dellarole is a true shepherd of his flock, and greatly beloved and respected by his people.

The parish of Our Lady of Loreto was organized by Father Vincent Vican in 1920, but the time had not yet come for the building of a church. The first pastor, Rev. Peter Gorrett, now at Silver Lake, said Mass in a room in what was later the parochial residence. He worked faithfully for the development of the new parish and gave of his best to his people. On February 1, 1922, Father Gorrett was succeeded by Rev. Dominic Dellarole, the present pastor. Father Dellarole set about the task of building a new church and secured the full cooperation of his parishioners. From February 1, to August 1, 1922, Father Dellarole used a room in the present rectory as a place of worship, saying Mass there regularly, as had the pastor before him. He was, however, carrying forward the building of the new church as rapidly as possible, and on July 29, 1922, the cornerstone was laid with impressive ceremonies. By August 1, 1922, the new church was ready for occupancy, and there was great rejoicing in the parish of Our Lady of Loreto. The church seats about three hundred and twenty people, and is conveniently and attractively arranged and decorated to meet the needs of the people whom it serves. In addition to the successful completion of the church edifice Father Dellarole has also built a summer school, which is taught by the Sisters, and an auditorium.

Rev. Dominic Dellarole was born in Italy and received his early education in the public schools of his native land. Having chosen to devote his life to the service of his church and his fellowmen, he continued his studies in Italy, completed his theological training, and was ordained there, May 3, 1907. After his ordination he remained in Italy as an assistant to the faculty of the Torino for a period of eight years, and then served as a chaplain in the army for three years. When his term of service was completed he came to this country, 1920, and was assigned to a New Haven, Connecticut, church, as an assistant. After four months of service there he was transferred to Boston, Massachusetts, for nine months, after which he was appointed pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Loreto in Providence, Rhode Island, where he is still (1930) serving most ably and successfully. As recounted above, Father Dellarole has since his coming in February, 1922, accomplished a great work here, and since the building of the church the membership of the parish has continued to grow until at the present time (1930) there are about thirteen hundred souls. The usual parish societies have been organized and all of them are prosperous and steadily growing in membership. The Society of the Holy Virgin, the Catholic Club, Children of Mary Society. Sisters of the Christian Mother, all these are vigorous and active and are contributing a generous share to the success of the parish activities.

As a wise leader and a revered pastor, Father Dellarole is much loved by his people, and there is every prospect of a bright future before the Church of Our Lady of Loreto.

Source: Carroll, Charles. Rhode Island: Three Centuries of Democracy, vol 3 of 4. New York: Lewis historical Pub. Co., 1932.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Pin It on Pinterest

Scroll to Top