St. Charles Borromeo Parish Continues to Build Spirit

By Alfonso Aguilar
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 2/14/02)

Since its inception almost 100 years ago, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Parish in Arlington has been described as a "community in action," with two permanent characteristics — rebuilding both the spirituality of the community and the facilities. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the church was renovated and extended; in the 1970s at least two major construction projects changed its image, and now the church is embarking on an ambitious $5.4 million project to build a Parish Community Center.

"It is a historical dream of our community and a real need of the parish," said the pastor, Father Gerry Creedon (pictured above), a cheerful Irish priest. Ordained 33 years ago, he has served the Church in Arlington for the past 29 years, four of them in a diocesan mission in the Dominican Republic and five in this parish.

"We need new facilities to accommodate our growing number of parishioners and in order to offer more and better space for our numerous groups and events," he said, adding that beyond the construction project the challenge is to integrate all the cultures and generations who make St. Charles Parish a blessed family, committed to "compassion and social justice."

The parish mission is "to be a community of people with various backgrounds united as a family of faith empowered by Christ." It has approximately 2,000 registered families and more than 70 groups involved in fields such as community building, education, liturgy, hospitality, housing, counseling, mental health, senior services and social justice. In addition, it has two sister parishes in Haiti and a medical mission in the Philippines.

Along with St. Anthony Parish in Falls Church, St. Charles is considered one of the most diverse churches in the region. Of all the parishioners, white Americans make up 37 percent, Hispanics 30 percent, Asians 10 percent and African-Americans and other groups five percent.

Masses are celebrated in English and Spanish. Filipinos, the third largest group, conduct their own Masses in English with songs in Tagalog.

For Father Creedon this diversity is a gift, but not the only one. "We are blessed with old and young parishioners, professionals and blue-collar workers. We have people who have attended this church for the last 60 to 80 years, people who are now over 100 years old, and we have many young children from Hispanic families," he said.

"We are a church with roots, with memory, with a strong identity," said the pastor, always revealing his confidence whether speaking in English or Spanish, two of his many languages.

A church in this region bearing the name Charles Borromeo (an Italian saint born in 1538, who became a bishop at age 25 and was a prominent reformer of the Council of Trent under Pope Pius IV, his uncle), began in 1909 when Richmond Bishop Augustine Van DeVyer ordered that a parish be built "to embrace the village of Clarendon and the surrounding country of Alexandria County."

A year later construction of the church began. It would become the first one in Arlington County, and just one year later, on March 26, 1911, the bishop dedicated the new church.

It was a Gothic style church and seated only 300 people. Father Frederick P. Lackey was named the pastor. Given that the number of parishioners grew very fast, Masses were also celebrated in a store and in a theatre, according to the church’s Web site.

Later, a mission church was established in Arlington. The congregation continues to grow. Succeeding pastors renovated the church constantly. Old and new members of the parish gratefully remember the input and dedication of the Catholic Women’s Club of St. Charles for "both its spiritual and community leadership. The women visited sick parishioners, cared for the needy and held parties for the sisters. They handled many successful fund-raising events for the school."

On the 50th anniversary, the church received a very special gift from its parishioners – three new buildings. Between 1955 and 1965, many new facilities were built under the leadership of pastor Father Leonard Koster, successor of Father Lackey. The Charles Borromeo School was founded in 1922. It has always been run by the Benedictine Order of Sisters. Benedictine Sister Benedict Kesock has been the principal for 28 years.

It was not easy to find the funds for the new school. Father Lackey was short $5,000. He met with the bishop who urged him to come up with a plan to raise the additional money needed by the very next morning, otherwise the project for the new school wouldn’t be approved. It is said that the following morning, Father Lackey again met with the bishop to say that he had come up with a very practical plan. "Bishop," he said, "this is my plan: you can give us the $5,000." And the school was built.

New renovations were made in the ’70s with the full participation of parishioners and neighbors. Once again, new construction will add to the church, a Parish Community Center. "I see it as a place of gathering, of education for young and old, of banquets, of physical recreation and spiritual renewal," wrote Father Creedon in the project’s brochure.

As of January, the parish has received approximately $1.7 million; another $2.8 million has been pledged. Over 1,000 households and friends of St. Charles are involved in the project, according to Monica Craven, chairperson of the Building Committee. "So far, we are very happy with the progress," she said.

The ground-breaking is scheduled for May 2002 and the opening for the summer of 2003. The new center will include a parish social hall, new meeting rooms, a multi-purpose gym and additional spaces for different events.

Meanwhile, the church is embarking on new projects, among them, "Landings," whose goal is to bring back Catholics who have been away from the Church. To develop the leadership of lay people, increase the number of students in the St. Charles Borromeo School, integrate the parish’s communities and fight for affordable housing in the surrounding neighborhoods, seven of which have representatives in the church, are mentioned as priorities for the near future.

Father Creedon said that he essentially wants to keep the parish’s sense of community and humane atmosphere, preserving and celebrating its many cultures.

"We don’t want to see a region for just the rich," he said. And concludes,

"There is no evangelization without the promotion of social justice."

St. Charles Parish at a glance

3304 N. Washington Blvd.

Arlington, Va. 22201-4506

703/527-5500

Pastor:

Fr. Gerard Creedon

Parochial Vicar:

Fr. Francisco Méndez de Dios

Permanente Deacon:

John B. Mallon

In Residence:

Frs. Charles McCoart, Lee Gross

Mass Schedule:

Saturday: 5 p.m. Vigil Mass

Sunday: 7:30, 9 and 11 a.m. 6 p.m.

1 p.m. in Spanish

Weekdays: 9 a.m., Monday –Saturday

Parish Web Site:

www.stcharleschurch.org

 Boundaries: Beginning at Key Bridge — south along Potomac River to Memorial Bridge— South, west and northwest around Arlington National Cemetery and Fort Myer to intersection of Washington and Arlington Blvds. At N. 1st Rd.—West on N. 1st Rd. to N. Jackson St.—North on N. Jackson St. to N. 5th St.—West on N. 5th St. to N. Oakland St.—North on N. Oakland to N. 6th Rd.—West on N. 6th Rd. to N. Oxford St.—North on N. Oxford to N. 6th St. to N. Pollard St.—North on N. Pollard St. to Wilson Blvd.—West on Wilson Blvd. To N. Glebe Rd.—North on Glebe Rd. to I-66 — East on I-66 to Lee Hwy. (just west of Kirkwood Rd.) —East on Lee Hwy. too Key Bridge. 

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