It’s hard to imagine it, but the west side of Lakeside Avenue was once just a rolling expanse of open land with a single house on it. Then 100 years ago, Our Lady of the Lady Church was built, the first in what would become a series of structures for Catholics in the then new town of Verona.

This year, the church will host a series of events to commemorate the centennial and showcase what is now Verona’s largest religious institution as it begins its next 100 years.“The church was not only the place where you went to mass,” says Father Peter G. Wehrle, OLL’s pastor now. “It was also a social hub, where so many things occurred.”