Welcome
Parish History
Parish Mission Statement
are called by virtue of our baptism
to be a sign of Jesus Christ.
We are sent to foster the growth of God’s
Kingdom by praising God, serving others,
and proclaiming the Gospel.
Over 200 years ago, Don Manuel Perez visited the village of Les Petites Cotes, or the "Little Hills." As the Spanish lieutenant governor of Upper Louisiana, Perez signed a petition granting inhabitants of the village permission to build a church. According to area historical records, the meeting took place at the home of French Canadian fur trapper Louis Blanchette, who founded the village in 1769. The church Perez authorized was San Carlos Borromeo, later anglicized to St. Charles Borromeo. When Perez dedicated the church on November 7, 1791, he named it after the Cardinal of Milan, Charles Borromeo. At the same time, he changed the name of the village to San Carlos, which then became St. Charles in 1803.
St. Charles Borromeo in St. Charles, Missouri is the third oldest parish in the St. Louis Archdiocese, behind Ste. Genevieve and the Old Cathedral in downtown St. Louis. Several buildings have served the parish since the original church, a typical French log church with a vertical post, was erected at South Main and Jackson Streets. In 1828, a second Borromeo Church was built at North Second and Decatur Streets. The tremendous growth of the Catholic community necessitated yet a new church, which was built in 1869 at the present site of St. Charles Borromeo. On July 7, 1915, a wind storm destroyed the main body of the brick church. The church was reconstructed, and the cornerstone for the fourth and existing church was laid on April 16, 1916 by Archbishop John Glennon.
In more recent years, the Parish and City of St. Charles have worked collaboratively to honor the historical importance of our parish as one of the oldest in St. Charles. This has included a replica of the original church to be built on its original site and a statue of St. Charles Borromeo at the corner of Jefferson and Second Streets.
