Most Holy Name

Most Holy Name. , The Jesuits organized Most Holy Name parish in 1920 to serve Ybor City's Italian community. On Christmas 1922, Father Vicente Dente celebrated the first mass at Most Holy Name Church, located in the 2300 block, between 7th and 8th Avenues. The Salesians assumed administration of the parish in 1923, but then, in 1934, transferred authority to the Redemptorists. By the mid-1930s, over 100 parishioners, primarily women, were active with what became known as the "Italian Church.", The Salesian Sisters continued to be responsible for education within the parish. The Sisters, who lived in a convent on the church grounds, opened a nursery school and kindergarten in the church's basement in 1933. The Sisters gradually extended the Most Holy Name Catholic School to higher grades, and the school's facilities were expanded to accommodate more students. In the early 1950s, over 200 children attended Most Holy Name, which by then offered grades kindergarten though eighth grade., Ybor City's Italian population decreased significantly after World War II, contributing to the demise of Most Holy Name. The school and convent both closed in 1967 and were razed. The final mass at the church was celebrated on June 15, 1975. Although none of its buildings remain, the values and lessons learned in Most Holy Name School and Church were forever part of the lives of its graduates and parishioners.