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St. cHarleS Borromeo cHurcH
Two Catholic laymen, Leo Lawson and George Pearson, called on Bishop Thomas F. Hickey to build a new church to provide for Catholics moving into neighborhoods near Kodak Park.
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HHe told them to obtain the signatures of 70 Catholic families. They exceeded that goal by two families, and Bishop Hickey established
St. Charles Borromeo in 1925.
The parish’s rst pastor, Father John M. Sellinger, made a down payment of $800 on ve-and-a half acre farm property on the corner of Dewey Avenue and Maiden Lane. While the church was being constructed, the parish’s rst Mass was celebrated on Nov. 6, 1925, at the Pearson Home. The cornerstone of the rst church was laid by Bishop Thomas Francis Hickey on July 4, 1926, and a convent for the Sisters of Mercy was built in 1931.
In 1952, under the pastorate of Father Robert Keleher, the church was completely remodeled along Spanish Mission lines and was completed in time for Christmas Masses in 1952. Shortly after, the parish was split with the additions of Our Lady of Mercy and Holy Name of Jesus parishes to better accommodate growing numbers of Catholics in the area.
In 1963, planning began for a new church, which was completed at 3003 Dewey Avenue in time for Easter Sunday Masses in 1967. The old church was remodeled into of ces and a gymnasium.
In the early 1990s, the parish renovated its former convent for use as the Borromeo Prayer Center, at the time one of only two Catholic prayer centers in the county; the center operated from 1992 to 2008. In 2006, the church underwent renovation, including new pews and relocation of the baptismal font.