ST. CHARLES BORROMEO
Fort Wayne, IN
OUR HISTORY
An explosion of growth in Fort Wayne, particularly on the north side of the city, led to the creation of several new diocesan parishes. St. Charles Borromeo, located on Trier Road, was established in 1957 to meet the needs of the growing Catholic community in northeast Allen County. Named for the Archbishop of Milan, Italy, during the Counter-Reformation, the parish served the growing population of the northeast side of the city.
In the years since its founding, St. Charles Borromeo Parish has been led by only three pastors. For its first 29 years of existence, Father Edward Hession pastored the parish until his retirement in 1986. Allegedly, Father Hession chose the parish’s name, honoring his father who was named Charles. He was elevated to the title of monsignor in his retirement years, and the parish center built in 1996 was named for him. Monsignor John Suelzer took over in 1986 until his sudden passing in 2016, after which Father Tom Shoemaker was appointed pastor.
The school opened just fifteen months after the parish’s founding, originally staffed by Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart as teachers and continued to grow in the following decades. Enrollment rose, and several additions were made to the school building in the subsequent years. With more than 800 students educated at St. Charles Borromeo each year, it is still one of the largest Catholic schools in the city.
The church itself has undergone two massive renovations: the first after a fire in 1963 gutted the building and again in 2022 when the tabernacle was brought back into the sanctuary and the church beautified.
St. Charles Borromeo remains a large and thriving parish, boasting many ministries such as Catholic Relief Services, Pro-Life and Vocations committees, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and others.
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