Allamano was born in Northern Italy in 1851. He entered seminary in 1866 and was ordained a priest in 1873. He was assigned Rector (pastor) of the Consolata Shrine in 1876, and founded the Consolata Missionary sisters years later (January 29, 1910). The Consolata Missionary Sisters were established in Belmont, Michigan in 1954.
Our Lady of Consolation began in 1964 with about 60 families as a mission of Assumption in Belmont. Msgr. Joseph Podhajski and the Consolata Missionary sisters served both Assumption and the new mission.
Bishop Allen Babcock, in 1968, dedicated the mission, to the mother of Jesus as Our Lady of Consolation. The name was chosen in tribute to the Consolata Sisters, who taught at the school. The sisters continue to be a presence in the school and retain a convent in Belmont, just west of Rockford.
