Information

Virtual Tour

Parish Buildings

Church view from corner of Third & High Streets Church view from Third Street Church view from High Street Parish Center (former rectory) view from parking lot School view of main entrance School view of main entrance School view of old entrance Daycare Center (former convent)

You will find the 15-acre site of St. Charles Borromeo Parish at the busy intersection of Third and High streets in Bloomington, Indiana. The Parish is located in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, the Catholic Church in central and southern Indiana.

The Parish Center operates from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for holidays. On the second floor, the video library and adult learning center keep the same hours as the Parish Center. The office at St. Charles School is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday during the school year.

To make the best possible use of parish buildings, recognized St. Charles organizations should make reservations with the receptionist or facilities coordinator in the Parish Center.

Inside the air-conditioned church, baptisms, weddings, funerals, and other celebrations are held. The church can accommodate up to 650 people comfortably on traditional wooden pews with kneelers and individual chairs with kneelers in the two transepts.

The church is handicapped accessible via a ramp at the north entrance. The parish maintains a 245-space parking lot, which includes handicapped accessible sections.

About 35 weddings per year are held at St. Charles Church. Couples seeking to be married should contact the marriage program coordinator to make their plans at least six months in advance of the wedding date.

A small chapel behind the sanctuary can serve a small group of up to 30 people. Daily Mass is often celebrated here.

The Parish Hall, located beneath the church, is the place for many gatherings, such as coffee and doughnuts after Masses on Sunday mornings. The hall accommodates up to 250 people. With all folding wall units in place, the hall can be subdivided into eight classrooms with space for 20 people each. A kitchen with a stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, and coffee facilities serves the Parish Hall.

A conference room, where many important parish meetings are held, is located next to the Parish Hall. The Parish Council and Board of Education meet regularly in this room with seating for up to 30 people.

The Parish Hall is handicapped accessible by a ramp near the south entrance. Men's, women's, and handicapped accessible restrooms and a nursery are found nearby.

The Parish Center, formerly the rectory, contains the offices of the pastor, parish secretary, receptionist, facilities coordinator, and youth ministries on the first floor. The St. Charles Bookstore also is located here. The first floor of the center is handicapped accessible. The second floor has the offices of the associate pastor, director of religious education, religious education assistant, directors of music ministries, marriage program coordinator, and bookkeeper. The video library and adult learning center and a conference room are also on the second floor. About 15 people can meet in the small conference room.

The basement of the Parish Center is used as a meeting room for adult religious education and other small gatherings.

Completed in 1996, a $1.6 million classroom addition to St. Charles School has a Parish Activities Center, formerly known as The Multi-Purpose Room. To reach the Activities Center, people go into the main entrance of the school past the administrative offices. The Activities Center is served by a small kitchen with a stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, and warming table. Children at St. Charles School eat lunch in the Parish Activities Center.

The parish grounds are used for St. Charles sports. Future plans include a softball diamond. Fields must be reserved before use.

For most activities, church-related groups may use parish buildings and grounds at no charge provided organizers clean up and return the site to its original condition.

Special events require a Facilities Application and Contract available from the receptionist or facilities coordinator in the Parish Center. Rental fees are $150 for the Parish Hall, $50 for the hall kitchen, $200 for the Activities Center, and $75 for the center kitchen. A damage deposit of $100 is paid at the time of application. All activities must be scheduled and placed on the official parish calendar.

From its facade of Indiana limestone to its warm interior of St. Meinrad sandstone, St. Charles Borromeo Church inspires faith and reverence.

In modified Gothic style, St. Charles was designed as a cruciform church with its copper spire located directly above the point where the nave and transepts intersect to form the cross. Dedicated on May 5, 1952, the church has 33 stained glass windows. Fifteen large windows display the rich symbolism of the Catholic Church. The eight nave windows depict the seven Sacraments and the Sacrifice of the Mass. The four transept windows represent the four cardinal virtues of Temperance, Prudence, Justice, and Fortitude. The window in the young children's area of the church is dedicated to Faith, Hope, and Charity. The largest windows overlooks the choir loft and is devoted to the four Evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - with the familiar symbols of the angel, the lion, the ox, and the eagle. The rose windows symbolizing the Holy Trinity and several smaller ones illuminate the chapel behind the sanctuary wall.

Several statues adorn the sanctuary of the church. The Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and Jesus on the cross, were carved in Italy especially for St. Charles. A statue of the Holy Family sits at the west end of the nave.

The Stations of the Cross at St. Charles are of aluminum on oak rendered in highlighted bas-relief.

In a niche outside the main entrance stands a statue of Saint Charles Borromeo carved from Indiana Limestone.