A very large red brick structure with steeply pitched roofs, this is at least the third church of the Saint Charles Borromeo Parish. Their first came to be in May of 1907, which was doubled in size in 1916-1917 and increased in size again in the 1930s. A second church was built in 1953, giving way to the present one some time during or shortly after the 1970s. The cross in the church yard was erected in 2007.
An early history of the parish is to be seen below.
Saint Charles Borromeo
When Whitefish became the Great Northern division point and began to grow, Father Henry Arts, who was the pastor of the parish in Kalispell, began t include the railroad town in his missionary itinerary. Father Arts first said Mass in Whitefish in Matthews' Hall in 1904. In the summer of 1905 the Most Reverend John P. Carroll, Bishop of Helena, made his first visit to the town and encouraged the building of a church. Then began a series of social events to raise funds for the new church in Whitefish.
In March, 1906, with the appointment of the Rev. P. D. Ryan to Columbia Falls and Whitefish, the work of construction was begun, and the church was completed in May, 1907. The same summer the Rev. Charles B. McGlynn replaced Father Ryan, and was the first priest to take up his residence in Whitefish, with Columbia Falls as a mission. In August, 1909, Father McGlynn died and the Rev. J. M. Venus was named pastor. In 1910 he was transferred to Butte, and the Rev. C. M. Van Aken succeeded him. Father Van Aken purchased a home at 304 O'Brien Avenue, and this became the parish rectory for the pastor. Father Van Aken was in charge of the parish until 1916.
In October, 1916, the Rev. Joseph J. Carroll succeeded Father Van Aken as pastor and proceeded to enlarge the church to almost twice its previous size.
The death of Father Carroll in 1930 brought the appointment as pastor of the Rev. James P. O'Shea. In this time a parish hall was provided in the basement of the rectory for all parish meetings. Other achievements were the modernization of the heating equipment with oil furnaces and stokers, enlarging of the sanctuary of the church, and the payment of the parish debt.
Father O'Shea was pastor until May, 1944, when he was transferred to Butte, and the Rev. Edmont Taylor from Libby became Pastor. In 1946 Father Taylor was transferred to Butte, and the Rev. John F. Cronin, just returned from service as chaplain in the Southwest Pacific area, was appointed pastor.
A new church and rectory was built in 1953. The first Mass was celebrated in the new church on November 22 of that year. The church was dedicated by the Most Rev. Joseph M. Gilmore, Bishop of Helena, September, 1954.
The former rectory on O'Brien Avenue was sold. Due to the generosity of the parishioners of St. Charles Parish, the debt on the new church and rectory was paid off in eight years.
Father Cronin was transferred to Anaconda in August 1955. He was replaced by Father William Malloy, who came here from St. Richard Parish in Columbia Falls. On July 1, 1970, Father Malloy was transferred to Butte. On this same date Father Cronin was transferred from St. Anthony Parish, Missoula, to return to Whitefish as pastor.
At the time of this writing, November, 1971, Father Cronin remains pastor of St. Charles Church.
From St. Charles Borromeo