The President's Corner

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I have always held that the residents of Parma are a very faith-filled people.  The plethora and diversity of places of worship in our community speak to this truth.  This fact has moved me to begin a series this month I am titling Parma Places of Worship.  I will begin this month with my own parish – St. Charles Borromeo located at 5891 Ridge Road. 

“St. Charles’ history reflects the history of Parma,” said Father John Carlin, Pastor of St. Charles, when I met with him on a chilly day in early March. Father Carlin explained that the parish began with 13 families back in 1923, followed by a small school the next year. As Parma grew, so did the parish and on May 2, 1954 the cornerstone for the current “Spanish Mission” style church was laid.  According to church records, “the general form…is the traditional basilica style, that is, the form of a cross.”  Named in honor of St. Charles Borromeo, Cardinal-Archbishop of Milan, Italy who ministered to those suffering the scourges of the Black Death in the 1500s, the parish population skyrocketed throughout the 1950s and 60s to 5,600 families, the result of Parma growing at a rate of about 100 new families a week. In fact, St. Charles Elementary School was the largest Catholic elementary school in the state of Ohio for several years. Today, the parish population holds steady at slightly less than 3,900 families and 10,000 souls. 

Father Carlin explained that throughout its history, St. Charles has remained a neighborhood parish, which has striven to minister to Parma’s residents changing needs. From taking care of those returning from World Wars I and II to adapting to today’s changing world, the parish has a history of ministry to the diverse needs of its parishioners. “Our mission at St. Charles is to provide a strong Catholic education to our young people and to respond to the needs of each generation,” explained Father Carlin.  In fact, the parish offers groups for small children, teens, singles, seniors, widows and widowers, alcoholics, those who have lost a loved one, mothers, among several others.  “In the Catholic tradition, we are a community-centered, faith-filled parish that offers daily worship, education and service to others,” Father Carlin adds.  

The church is very intriguing in large part due to the incredible amount of symbolism found throughout. For instance, inside the round arch near the top of the Ridge Road entrance are the two Greek letters alpha and omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, denoting that God is the beginning and the end of all things. Entering the church one views 140 engraved tiles that include Christian symbols and biblical references, including fourteen marked with the Stations of the Cross. Inside you will also find twelve emblems behind the altar, including the crossed keys, which represent St. Peter to whom Jesus said “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." A multitude of other examples abound throughout the exterior and interior of the church. 

St. Charles’ summer carnival has been a Parma staple for over 80 years. In fact, the 83rd Homecoming Carnival will take place from Wednesday, July 8 through Sunday, July 12, 2015. The carnival begins with a kickoff parade on Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm along Ridge Road from the Parma Circle to the St. Charles campus.  

St. Charles offers weekday Masses at 7:00 am, 8:30 am and 7:00 pm, Saturday morning at 8:00 am, Saturday Vigil Masses at 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm, and Sunday at 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, and 5:30 pm. “We welcome all to our Parish,” added Father Carlin. To find out more about St. Charles Borromeo Parish, visit their website at stcharlesonline.org or call them at 440-884-3030.