St Charles School

St. Charles was founded in 1906 when a group of Hartland area Catholics, under the direction of Fr. Charles Keyser, planned a church at the crest of the village hill, on land purchased in 1863 by some unnamed persons for a Catholic church. Construction began in 1906 with most of the work done by parishioners, and was completed in 1908. St. Charles... remained a mission to St. Mary's until 1916 when Archbishop Messmer established St. Clare in North Lake and appointed Fr. Leo Scheuerell pastor. That directed St. Charles become a mission of St. Clare. In 1917, Fr. Louis Zirbes became pastor of both parishes and remained so until 1950. Under his direction many improvements were made to the church building, including installation of electrical lighting, central heating, and water and sewer systems. The parish also expanded its Sunday Mass schedule, offering parishioners four Masses instead of just one. It became apparent that further expansion would soon be needed. In 1950, Fr. Francis McGarry became resident pastor and the longtime desire of people of St. Charles became a reality. Almost immediately, the various organizations of the parish began planning for a new church and school. Land was purchased in a new Hartland subdivision, a fund drive was organized and the new church and school were completed to celebrate the golden anniversary of the parish in 1957. The school opened in 1959, staffed by Sisters of the Precious Blood.Read More