OUR MISSION

IN THE WORDS OF SACRED SCRIPTURE

Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.  Mt 28:19-20

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.  Acts 2:42

IN THE WORDS OF THE CATECHISM

Those who with God’s help have welcomed Christ’s call and freely responded to it are urged on by the love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world. . . .  All Christ’s faithful are called to hand it on . . . by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer.  Catechism of the Catholic Church 3

At St. Charles Parish we proclaim, celebrate and live the more abundant life of Jesus through comprehensive formation in the faith, through a rich sacramental and prayer life, and through fellowship in charity.  We are committed to the missionary discipleship of the New Evangelization and, with Pope Francis, “invite all to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.”  We encourage you to be active members of our family of faith, hope and love, praying and working together in witness to the Good News.

OUR HISTORY

St. Charles Borromeo Parish was founded in 1909 by Bishop Augustine van de Vyver of Richmond.  It became a parish of the Diocese of Arlington when the latter was erected in 1974.

The first church was dedicated in 1911 and a four-classroom parish school, staffed by the Benedictine Sisters of Bristow, Virginia, was founded in 1922.  A new school and convent were built in 1955, a new church in 1960, and a new rectory in 1965.  The church was renovated in 1990.  The Benedictine sisters served the school until 2008. In 2014 the school transitioned to a preschool.

Today St. Charles Parish serves over 5,000 registered parishioners in over 2,400 families.

HISTORY OF CLERGY ASSIGNED TO THE PARISH

PASTORS

Rev. Msgr. Frederick P. Lackey, Founding Pastor        1909-1927

Rev. Msgr. Thomas A. Rankin                                     1927-1930

Rev. John A. Curran                                                  1930-1947            

Rev. Msgr. Leonard J. Koster                                     1947-1968

Rev. Msgr. Gabriel T. Maioriello                                 1968-1975            

Rev. Edmund V. Kollar                                               1975-1976

Rev. Msgr. Thomas A. Casey                                      1976-1981

Rev. J. Stewart Culkin                                               1981-1986

Rev. Horace H. “Tuck” Grinnell                                   1986-1994

Rev. Donald C. Greenhalgh                                        1994-1996

Rev. Gerard Creedon                                                 1996-2010

Rev. Horace H. “Tuck” Grinnell                                   2010-2014

Rev. Donald J. Planty, Jr.                                           2014-present