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 160 years and now represents a congregation of over 2,700 households and about 8,000 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 over 1,000 parish children every year. St. Charles School educates over 370 children and is growing rapidly. Enrollment has grown by over 30% since the 2020-2021 school year.

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 report that over $18 million dollars was pledged and donated by our generous parishioners to build our new church and renovate existing space on the campus to accommodate the needs of our expanding community. The first phase of the campus expansion project opened 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. The second phase of the project was the dedication and opening of our new church, which occurred in April 2024. The third and final phase of the campaign is renovating existing spaces for usage by our school community, which is slated to wrap up by August 2025.

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