History

The parish of St. Charles Borromeo was conceived in December 1938 when Archbishop John Gregory Murray appointed Father Charles F. Doran to establish a new parish on the northeastern edge of Minneapolis.  Father Doran, who named the parish after his own patron saint, celebrated the first parish Mass in the home of Roy F. Miller on Benjamin Street with about 50 people in attendance.  By the fall of 1939, a six-acre tract on the southeast corner of Stinson and St. Anthony Boulevards was acquired and a church/school/convent facility was completed.

The school opened on September 15, 1939 with 115 students enrolled.  Students were taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, an order of sisters that would educate St. Charles’ youngsters for the next 32 years. 

The parish community, like all parishes on the metropolitan fringe, experienced accelerated growth in the years immediately following World War II.  By 1954, over 1200 families were registered and 852 students were enrolled in the school.  This rapid growth placed tremendous pressure on parish facilities and created a need for expansion.  To meet that need, Fr. Doran directed a building program that resulted in one of the most beautiful church complexes in the metropolitan area.  The convent was built in 1946 and two wings were added to the school in 1952.  The church was dedicated in 1959, and the rectory completed in 1961.

Father Doran led the parish until his death in 1965.  Father Robert Wittman was appointed as the second pastor and served St. Charles until his death in May 1971.  The Most Reverend John Roach, then Auxiliary Bishop of Minneapolis and St. Paul, headed the parish for the next two years.  In 1973, Bishop Roach, appointed Vicar For Clergy as well as Vicar For Parishes in the Archdiocese, stepped down as pastor to devote his efforts to his increasing diocesan responsibilities. 

Father Francis R. Kittock succeeded Bishop Roach and remained pastor until his retirement in June 2000.  During his tenure, Project 2000, the parish’s millennium gift for Jesus, was completed in May 1999 creating the current atrium, Doran Hall, Wittman Library, church crying room, restrooms, and the jewel of the project—the Perpetual Adoration Chapel. 

Father Paul A. La Fontaine, the fifth pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, assumed his duties in July 2000 and retired in the Fall of 2014. Under his guidance, the interior of the Church was beautifully renovated. 
Father Brian Park served us as Parochial Administrator from the Fall of 2014-June 2015.
Father Troy Przybilla, our sixth and current pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, assumed his duties July 2015.

Today, St. Charles Borromeo parish is over 900 families strong.  Her facilities, which have been both updated and expanded, serve not only St. Charles parishioners but are also utilized by the larger church community.  The people of St. Charles Borromeo continue to be noted for their generosity and willingness to take the spiritual life seriously as the parish continues to keep the flame of faith alive in Northeast Minneapolis and St. Anthony Village.