St. Charles Parish in Hartland has built a new church with a distinct Italian design

St. Charles Parish's new church in Hartland now has a distinct Italian look.

This Roman Catholic church broke ground for its new church in April of 2021 and just opened with an April 6 dedication ceremony. The new church is at 313 Circle Drive and on the same property as the former church.

St. Charles Facility Manager Mike Cattani said the parish had a need for more space. He said the previous church seated just more than 700 people.

The new church has a capacity of 1,170 and a choir loft with 50 additional seats, according to St. Charles Parish's website.

It's also an expansive space, with 33,000 square feet. From the floor to the top of the church's dome is 65 feet high and the center cupola's ceiling is 108 feet high, according to the website.

"Having a larger worship space allows parishioners to attend liturgies in one location versus in overflow seating spaces as they had in our previous church," said Cattani.

Allison Caswell, communications team lead and advancement officer of the parish, said the new church has a Perpetual Adoration Chapel where parishioners can come in to pray whenever works best with their schedule or when they feel the greatest need. She said both parishioners and people who are not members of the church can stop in from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. She said that the church is looking at having the chapel open 24/7 in the future.

St. Charles Parish has a unique architectural design with different Italian design features.

A northern Italian design honors the church's patron saint, St. Charles Borromeo

Caswell explained that the church went with a northern Italian building design to honor St. Charles Borromeo, the church's patron saint.

Borromeo was a cardinal and archbishop of Milan, Italy, from 1564 to 1584, according to the church's website, and was one of the great reformers in the Catholic Church. He founded many seminaries that helped with the education of priests.

There are stained-glass windows throughout the worship space, including one of St. Charles Borromeo, said Rev. Ken Omernick, pastor of the church.

The new space also features six historic Tyrolean stained-glass windows constructed in Innsbruck, Austria.

Another artistic feature of the new church is the Humilitas emblem, which is etched into the side of each pew, Cattani said. Humilitas is Latin for "humility" and is part of the Borromeo family crest.

Other Italian design features are a part of the new church

There are other Italian design features which are highlighted in the new church. Cattani said when people approach the front entrance of the building, they'll see bronze plaques that are replicas of the main doors of the Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore in Verona, Italy.

Cattani added that the altar, ambo (an elevated pulpit), baptismal font and tabernacle plinth (where the Eucharist is kept) were crafted of Carrara marble in Carrara, Italy.

What other unique design features are a part of the new St. Charles?

Another feature of the church people can enjoy, Cattani said, are four large bells in the church's bell tower that peal throughout the day as well as for weddings and funerals.

"They have a beautifully melodic tone to them, and it’s been a highlight to hear them ring after having them be installed for many months," said Cattani.

Cattani added there are two "beautiful" crosses on the roof, one on the cupola of the dome and one on top of the bell tower. "Both were created by a parishioner and his son and are replicas of the cross that adorned the original St. Charles Church on Hill Street in Hartland," he said.

To learn more about the new church, visit parish.stcharleshartland.com/site/home.

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Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @kozlowicz_cathy.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: St. Charles Parish in Hartland opens its new, larger church