About St. Charles Parish

Founded December 8, 1903

St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bensalem has proclaimed the Word of God and has celebrated the sacraments of the Lord Jesus for over one hundred years. The parish was founded in 1903 to serve sixty Catholic families living between St. Mark Parish in Bristol and St. Dominic Parish in Holmesburg. The land and cost of the first church was donated by Saint Katharine Drexel. In 1903, there were only 250 Catholics in the areas known over the years as Maud, Andalusia, Cornwells Heights, Eddington, and Bensalem.

St. Charles Borromeo Parish is the oldest Catholic parish in the Bensalem-Croydon area of Lower Bucks County. The parish has historic associations with St. Elizabeth Convent, the Motherhouse of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament founded by Saint Katharine Drexel in 1891. The founding pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Father Andrew J. McCue, was chaplain to the Sisters at the time of the founding of the parish by Archbishop Patrick J. Ryan.

Today, St. Charles Borromeo Parish serves a large majority of Catholic families living in Bensalem Township. The present parish church, dedicated in 1963, is the third church to serve parishioners. Earlier and smaller churches were dedicated in 1903 and 1924. The parish school, which also serves students from St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, was dedicated in 1920 and was expanded in 1926, 1952, 1978, and 1996. In June 2014, the Our Lady of Fatima Parish joined with St. Charles Borromeo to create a new parish. While St. Charles Borromeo remains the main church, a center of worship exists at Our Lady of Fatima on Street Road.

St. Charles Borromeo Parish continues to proclaim the Word of God, to celebrate the Sacraments of the Lord, to foster the Life of Faith among the People of God, and to serve the Lord and His Church in a spirit of love and fidelity.