About St. Charles · Bellows Falls, Vermont
St. Charles Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the village of Bellows Falls, Rockingham, Vermont, serving the southern Windham County region within the Diocese of Burlington. The parish worships in a striking High Victorian Gothic brick church built in 1885 and dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo, set on a terraced hilltop at 31 Cherry Hill Street. Under the leadership of its current administrator, Father Victor Cruz, HGN, the parish celebrates daily and weekend Masses in English, runs a CCD religious-education program, hosts an active Knights of Columbus Council #753, and maintains a perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. A year-long 140th-anniversary celebration in 2025 has marked a renewed period of growth, with streamed Masses, new pastoral groups, and revived community events such as weekly bingo and Lenten fish fries.
- Established
- 1871
- Patron
- St. Charles Borromeo
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Victor Cruz, HGN (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
Why belong here
St. Charles offers the feel of a close-knit Catholic community in the heart of southeastern Vermont, with an English-language Mass schedule that includes a Saturday Vigil, Sunday morning, and several weekday Masses, plus a daily Eucharistic Adoration Chapel open to visitors and regular adorers. Parishioners are formed in faith through the CCD religious-education program, served by Eucharistic Ministers who bring Communion to the homebound, and engaged year-round through the long-standing Knights of Columbus Council #753, parish potluck suppers, spaghetti dinners, bazaars, food drives, the Coats for Kids program, local high-school scholarships, and seasonal Lenten Fish Fry Fridays. Under the pastorally active leadership of Father Victor Cruz, the parish is also entering the digital mission field with weekly recorded and streamed Masses and a forthcoming parish podcast.
Mass times at St. Charles
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Adoration times
- Sun–Sat 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Adoration Chapel; please sign in and out)
Parish Overview
St. Charles Catholic Church is the Catholic parish of Bellows Falls, in the town of Rockingham, southern Vermont. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington and is pastored from 31 Cherry Hill Street, the address shared by the church, rectory, and parish social center. The parish identifies itself with a long Catholic heritage in the area, dating to the Irish railroad workers of the 1840s, and continues to serve as a center of worship, formation, and community life for Catholics of the Fall Mountain region.
- Parish identity: St. Charles Catholic Church, Bellows Falls, VT
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
- Address: 31 Cherry Hill Street, Bellows Falls, VT 05101
- Administrator: Rev. Fr. Victor Cruz, HGN
History of St. Charles Parish
The parish traces its roots to 1848, when visiting priests first said Mass in Bellows Falls, and to 1850, when Bishop Fenwick celebrated an outdoor Mass for more than 1,000 Catholics. The parish was formally founded in 1871 and built its first church buildings before dedicating the present High Victorian Gothic church on November 4, 1885. Through the late 19th and early 20th centuries it acquired a cemetery (1894), organized the Knights of Columbus (1903), opened St. Charles Catholic School (1912), and built a convent (1913).
- 1848: First Mass in Bellows Falls said by Rev. John DALY
- 1850: Outdoor Mass by Bishop Fenwick for 1,000+ Catholics
- 1871: Parish founded; Father M. Gendreau becomes first resident pastor
- 1879: Cherry Hill property purchased from Bellows Falls Canal Company for $2,000
- 1885: Present church designed by George Guernsey, dedicated Nov. 4, 1885 (cost $28,000)
- 1893: Queen Anne rectory built
- 1894: Cemetery land acquired
- 1896: Former 1867 high school acquired for parish use
- 1903: Knights of Columbus organized at St. Charles
- 1912: St. Charles Catholic School opens in the leased old high school
- 1913: Convent built to house the teaching sisters
- 2025: Parish celebrates its 140th anniversary with year-long events
Architecture and Buildings
The 1885 church is one of Vermont's most elaborate High Victorian Gothic buildings. Architect-builder George Guernsey organized the red-brick mass with Ruskinian polychromy in buff terra-cotta and capped the structure with a spiky octagonal slate-clad spire. The historic complex includes a Queen Anne rectory (1893) to the south and the former 1867 Italianate high-school building (acquired 1896) to the east, which has served parish and school functions for more than a century.
- Style: High Victorian Gothic
- Architect: George Guernsey of Montpelier
- Materials: Red brick with buff terra-cotta trim and multi-colored slate
- Rectory: Queen Anne, 1893, with horseshoe-arch plate-glass parlor window
- School/Parish building: 1867 Italianate brick, acquired 1896
Clergy and Staff
The parish is led by Father Victor Cruz, a priest of the HGN religious order, who serves as Administrator. He is described by parishioners as a comforting presence who has inspired growth in attendance and the formation of new parish groups. The Diocese of Burlington lists Father Victor as Administrator; a Parochial Vicar line on the diocese page was unfilled at the time of publication.
- Administrator: Rev. Fr. Victor Cruz, HGN
Sacramental Life
In addition to daily and weekend Masses, St. Charles offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday afternoons and provides for the pastoral care of the sick, the homebound, and those preparing for marriage. Baptisms are scheduled by calling the parish office, and marriage preparation must begin at least six months in advance to accommodate the Pre-Cana program required by the Diocese of Burlington.
- Reconciliation: Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM
- Baptism: call for arrangements
- Marriage: call six months in advance for Pre-Cana
- Anointing of the Sick: call anytime
- Homebound Communion: arrange via the parish office
Faith Formation — CCD
The parish runs a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) religious-education program for children. Registration carries a $15 fee payable to St. Charles Church, with both in-class and remote learning options available. The Diocese requires that students be released only to adults specifically authorized by their parents.
- Program: CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine)
- Format: In-class and remote learning
- Registration fee: $15 to St. Charles Church
- Pick-up authorization required from parents
Knights of Columbus Council #753
The Bellows Falls Knights of Columbus Council #753 has been in existence for over a century and is among the most active parish organizations. The council hosts charitable, social, and parish events—including spaghetti dinners, bazaars, food drives, Coats for Kids, local high-school scholarships, and Lenten Fish Fry Fridays—and partners with the parish on the year-long 140th-anniversary celebration. It meets monthly on the second Tuesday, alternating between its hall on The Square in Bellows Falls and the St. Charles Social Center at 31 Cherry Hill Street.
- Council: Knights of Columbus #753
- Meeting: Second Tuesday of each month
- Locations: KC Hall on The Square (above M&T Bank) or St. Charles Social Center, 31 Cherry Hill St.
- Organized at St. Charles in 1903
- Activities: potluck suppers, spaghetti dinners, bazaars, food drives, Coats for Kids, scholarships, Lenten Fish Fry Fridays
Parish Life and Community Events
St. Charles is known for its active parish life. Beyond the regular liturgical schedule, the parish and Knights of Columbus host monthly events such as potluck suppers, spaghetti dinners, bazaars, food drives, the Coats for Kids program, and local high-school scholarships. New men's and ladies' groups have been formed in recent months, weekly bingo has been revived after the COVID era, and the parish has begun recording and streaming its Mass online and producing a podcast.
- Weekly bingo (revived post-COVID)
- Lenten Fish Fry Fridays
- Men's and ladies' pastoral groups
- Potluck suppers, spaghetti dinners, bazaars
- Food drives and Coats for Kids
- Local high-school scholarships
- Recorded/streamed weekly Mass
- Parish podcast (forthcoming)
Visiting and Becoming a Parishioner
Visitors to St. Charles are warmly welcomed and invited to sign the guest register in the church entry so that a thank-you letter can be mailed. New parishioners are asked to fill out a registration form available at the back of the church and return it either in the offering basket or by mail to the parish office; a welcome letter and Mass schedule will then be sent.
- Guest register located at the back of the church
- Registration forms on the table at the back of the church
- Submit in the offering basket or mail to the parish office
- Welcome letter and Mass schedule mailed to all new parishioners
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John DALYpre-1871
Said the first Mass in Bellows Falls in 1848; visited the mission regularly with Rev. Zephyrin DRUON.
- Rev. Charles O'REILLYc. 1857–1871
Listed in a 19th-century history as the first pastor of St. Charles Roman Catholic church (organized 1857).
- Father M. Gendreau1871–
First resident pastor; acquired the Cherry Hill property in 1879 from the Bellows Falls Canal Company for $2,000.
- Father Edward Reynolds1883–
Resumed construction of the present church; dedicated Nov. 4, 1885; acquired cemetery land (1894), leased the old high school for St. Charles Catholic School (1912), built the convent (1913); welcomed the Knights of Columbus in 1903.