Pastor's Address
Welcome to St. Charles Parish and School!
St. Charles Parish and School is vibrant and flourishing. As a community of Catholic Christians, St. Charles is inspired to Meet Christ, Know Christ, Love Christ, and Serve Christ, through our spiritual services, educational endeavors, and community opportunities. We are called to align our wills to our Lord’s and work in a way which is reflective of his greatest sacrificial act of love.
First gathered in 1863, St. Charles has been a pillar of the Hartland Community for over 150 years and now represents a congregation of nearly 2,600 households and about 7,200 congregants. The ministries of St. Charles work to provide spiritual guidance and support to the Hartland community, and parishioners in turn are active in groups and services that further the message of love Christ teaches us in the gospels. Our exemplary parish school and religious education program are thriving as well. Together the two programs educate and evangelize nearly 1,000 parish children every year. St. Charles School educates nearly 300 children, and is growing rapidly. Enrollment has nearly doubled since 2009.
With this continuous growth of our community and additional needs of parishioners and the parish school, St. Charles parish leadership spent two years conducting research on our current facilities and the future needs of our parish, and in 2016 began THE CORNERSTONE PROJECT -- Answering Christ’s Call. St. Charles is proud to announce that $12.4 million dollars has been pledged by our generous parishioners to build a new church and renovate existing space on the campus to accommodate the needs of our expanding community. The first phase of this campus expansion project will open in fall 2017 with three new classrooms, a dedicated STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Technology) Lab, a concession stand, new bathrooms and a new entrance and vestibule to the gym. Planning and designing the new church continues and we hope to break ground on the next phase of THE CORNERSTONE PROJECT in two to three years.
As pastor of St. Charles Parish and School, I welcome you to our vibrant and lively community, and encourage you to come and join us as we strive to Meet Christ, Know Christ, Serve Christ, and Love Christ.
Fr. Ken Omernick