Parish leader to head up OLMC Feast

In this historic year of the 100th anniversary celebration of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, it’s only fitting that that OLMC Feast make a bit of history itself.

In a first for the parish, Father Henry P. Zinno Jr. will serve as 2017 OLMC Feast Chief Marshal. Zinno will lead the oldest continuous Italian Feast in honor of the Blessed Mother in the state of Rhode Island. The 16th of July Feast — as it was originally known — was established by the Italian immigrants who moved to Bristol in 1899. It’s been going strong ever since. This year’s version is scheduled for July 13-16.

Check out a gallery of last year's OLMC Feast

“Normally, I’m the one who makes the selection each year,” said Father Zinno, “but this year, the trustees of the church asked me if they could make the selection. I never dreamed it would be me. This is such a tremendous honor.”

Trustees Elizabeth Vendituoli and Frank Vaccaro had the honor of naming Father Zinno, much to the delight of the entire OLMC congregation.

“This year, being the 100th anniversary of this fine parish, we asked Father Zinno, if we, as trustees, could have the honor of deciding and announcing the 2017 Chief Marshal,” said Ms. Vendituoli in announcing the honor for Father Zinno. “He may not have been born in Bristol or baptized at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, but he certainly belongs here, where his heart is, and where we hope he will always remain. He is our teacher, our friend and our leader.”

Father Zinno has been an instrumental force in the spiritual growth of the parish, “a dedicated and driven leader to ensure that our wonderful school and parish is sound financially and in its religious teachings,” Ms. Vendituoli said. “He has been a major fundraiser at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Feast with his many creative and culinary delights. Always ready to lend a sympathetic ear and advice as we face our daily struggles and always only a phone call away, only asking of us, what he himself will do. After some 26 years of dedicated and tireless service to our parish, with countless meetings about budgets and fundraising that he must attend to and yet his unrelenting love for each and every one of us never diminishes.”

Father Zinno grew up in Providence and attended Catholic Schools all his life: St. Augustine Grammar School, Providence, Our Lady of Providence High School and Seminary, Stonehill College (Class of 1977), and he received Master’s degrees in Theology and Moral and Religious Sciences at the University of Louvain in Belgium, where he pursued his formation for the Priesthood.

He was ordained June 12, 1982. His pastoral assignments include deacon assistant, Our Lady of Mercy, Waterloo, Belgium (1980), deacon assistant, St. Francis DeSales, North Kingstown, RI (1981), assistant pastor, St. Philip Church, Greenville, RI (1982-1987); Our Lady of Mount Carmel (1987-1997); Pastor, Holy Ghost, Tiverton (1997-2002); and Our Lady of Mount Carmel (2002 to the present).

His apostolic endeavors include missionary service in Tanzania; volunteering in London at the first hospice center in the world; directing Music Ministry at Our Lady of Mercy, Waterloo, Belgium; coordinating religious education at St. John's International School, Brussels, Belgium; serving on the Priests Council Grievance Committee; and leading a teen mission trip to Mustard Seed, Nicaragua, among others.