About the Parish
The History of Saint Charles Borromeo Parish
The history of St. Charles Borromeo Church has been shaped by its visionary pastors and by parishioners with a commitment to its Catholic Christian community. Each of our four pastors brought their own specific gifts uniquely befitting the needs of the parish at that particular time. We have been indeed blessed by God to be shepherded by these priests and to be responsive to their leadership.
Father Joseph W. Leary arrived in July, 1965 with a mandate to establish the first Catholic community in Washington Township. He took up residence in a neighborhood home provided by a parishioner. Mass was celebrated in the Whitman Square Community Club, the Birches Hall, and on special occasions on tennis courts and picnic grounds.
Property was purchased at the intersection of Whitman Drive and Johnson Road and an adjacent house on Stage Coach Road which became the first rectory. Groundbreaking for the new church occurred in 1967 and the construction was underway. The parish boundaries were extended across the Black Horse Pike and took in other surrounding neighborhoods. Father Leary celebrated the first Mass in the new church at midnight on Christmas Eve, 1969. On May 31, 1970, Bishop George H. Guilfoyle presided over the dedication of the new complex which included a beautiful new cruciform church with an all purpose hall underneath. The church grounds were later enhanced with the completion of an outdoor grotto in 1973 which provided space for private mediation and devotion.
In 1982 a new Religious Education Center was built which was used not only for the CCD students but also for an extension of St. Jude’s Regional School where the kindergarten and first grade students continue to be educated. From the beginning, St. Charles Borromeo Parish had a Pastoral Council, Holy Name Society, Sacred Heart Guild and the Knights of Columbus.
Father William F. Collins, our second Pastor, instituted perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in a chapel carved from the priests’ residence and developed the grotto with the Stations of the Cross. Stained glass windows were added to the side entrances of the church and the present doors were installed. The mortgage on the church and the Religious Education Center were paid!
The population of the parish burgeoned as new areas were developed, and Monsignor Joseph F. O’Connell, who became pastor in 1991, responded with the formation of new ministries to meet the diversity of needs. RCIA and RENEW galvanized the spirit of community. The rectory was converted into offices, meeting rooms, and a chapel for daily Mass and adoration, and a new priests’ residence was built on Stage Coach Road. The worship space of the church was redesigned and the renovated church was rededicated July 23, 2000.
Monsignor James R. Tracy was named the fourth pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in 2002. Monsignor transformed the original basement hall into meeting rooms and the warm Borromeo Hall for social gatherings; an elevator was installed which makes this area accessible for all.
Monsignor Tracy introduced Stewardship to the parish and guides us to use our time, talent, and treasure to make “God’s Kingdom come.” Now in our fortieth year, Monsignor Tracy encourages us to be a welcoming community where the newest parishioners join those of longer duration in making the light of Christ shine forth.
ST. CHARLES BORROMEO
Archbishop of Milan and Cardinal (1538 - 1584)
Of all the great holy churchmen who worked for a true and much needed reformation in the Church in the 16th century to correct real abuses and evil living, none was greater than Cardinal Charles Borromeo. He is considered to be one of the four outstanding public men of the so-called Counter Reformation along with Pius VI, St. Philip Nero, and St. Ignatius Loyola.
An aristocrat by birth, of the Medici family, nephew of Pope Pius IV, Charles was born in the castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore on October 5, 1538. At the age of twelve, he received the clerical tonsure and was entered at the Benedictine Abbey at Arona. At the University of Pavia, because of an impediment in his speech, he was esteemed slow, but he made good progress. The prudence and strictness of his conduct made him a model for the youth at the university. At the age of twenty-two, after both of his parents had died, he earned a doctorate. Early in 1560, the new Pope Pius VI created him Cardinal Deacon and named him administrator of the see of Milan. Charles, however, remained in Rome where he performed many duties and received many honors.
Charles was a patron of learning and promoted it among the clergy. He instituted a literary academy in the Vatican. Charles was instrumental in bringing about reassembly of the Council of Trent which had been suspended in 1522, and the council was reopened in 1526. Charles is generally credited with keeping the council together during its most critical and trying period. He was the mastermind and the ruling spirit of the third and last period of the Council of Trent. Charles accomplished this although he was still in minor orders.
Charles was ordained in 1563 and shortly thereafter was consecrated bishop. Although he was finally able to go to Milan and perform his duties, he was soon recalled to Rome when Pope Pius IV died. He returned to Milan in 1566 where he sold his family treasures and turned all of the receipts to charitable uses. He instituted many reforms, since the church in Milan had fallen into gross abuses and practices. His reforms have served ever since as models. He established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD). He was the originator of “Sunday Schools”. In 1578, he instituted the society of secular priests called the Oblates of St. Ambrose. An attempted assassination of St. Charles took place in October 1569 as a result of the many reforms which he instituted.
St. Charles Borromeo was zealous in parochial visitations and opened three seminaries.
In 1584, His health began to deteriorate, and on October 29, 1584, with the words Ecce Venio (Behold, I come) Charles died at the age of 46.
