Chapter 9 :: 2012-2016

Father Joseph Totton became the ninth pastor of Saint Charles Borromeo in July 2012. He arrived to find Saint Charles continuing with the financial struggles of the past, and facilities in need of repair. During his tenure, Father Totton focused on the importance of the priesthood and vocations as well as reverence during the liturgy, preferring a quiet church before and after Mass. He enjoyed distance running and playing hockey in his spare time.

Father Totton proposed and implemented liturgical changes throughout his time as pastor, including regular use of incense at one of the weekly Masses. Mass times were changed with the two earliest Sunday Masses combined to become the 8:30 mass and the 11:30 mass moving to 11:00 in July 2014. Funeral Masses were celebrated at the 9:00 daily Mass and Saturday evening Mass time was changed from 5:00 to 4:00 in November 2015. After attending Mass at another parish where the priest presided with his back to the people, Father Totton wrote a column in the parish bulletin extoling the benefits of this posture and suggesting that it was worth considering for Saint Charles parish liturgies. A couple of weeks later, in a follow-up column, Father Totton described the large negative response he had received to this suggestion, and it was not further pursued.

Under Father Totton’s leadership, changes to the facilities included the installation and dedication of the new Ten Commandments monument in the Prayer Garden in 2013. The “Paving the Way” brick campaign began in September 2013, under the leadership of Cynthia Tomes, raising money for the school and adding inscribed memorial bricks to the Prayer Garden. Former pastor Father Norman Rotert gifted the portrait of Saint Charles Borromeo to the parish in May 2013. He had received it as a gift from Bishop Helmsing in 1993. To accommodate the placement of this large painting in the Eucharistic Chapel to the east of the sanctuary, the Tabernacle was moved from the side altar where it had been residing since the 2001 renovation and was once again placed in the main sanctuary. The small Eucharistic Chapel was renamed The Saint Charles Chapel.

Reverence and Vocations

In the area of Faith Formation, the “Together in Faith” program was retired and an Adult Faith Formation team was formed. The members were trained by the diocese, and they coordinated a number of education opportunities for adults using film series from a variety of facilitators. “That Man Is You (TMIY)”, a very successful men’s ministry, was formed in 2012.

Throughout this brief period, there were changes in leadership at the Vatican and in the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph that had an impact on the parish. Pope Benedict XVI retired in February 2013 and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, taking the name Francis, in March 2013. Retired Bishop Raymond Boland died in Ireland in March 2014. In September 2015, Bishop Robert Finn became the only U.S. bishop to be convicted of the crime of failure to report a priest suspected of child sex abuse to government authorities. Bishop Finn resigned and Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, was named Administrator of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in April 2015. Pope Francis appointed Bishop James Vann Johnston, Jr. as the Bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph in September of 2015 and he was installed on November 4, 2015, the feast of Saint Charles Borromeo.

Locally, the parish experienced leadership challenges when Father Totton took a personal leave of absence from his duties at Saint Charles from September 2015 – January 2016. Masses through this period were covered by Father Egan, Father Fitzpatrick, Father Richmeier, Father Matt, Father Opoka, Father Rocha, Father Rogers, Father Rowe, Father Tobin, Father Waris, and Father Zupez. There was a welcome reception for Father Totton upon his return.

Leadership changes also occurred in the parish school. In 2013 Jeff Lynch was hired as principal of Saint Charles School, replacing Mary Omecene. Ann Lachowitzer replaced Jeff Lynch as principal in May 2015.

Saint Charles Borromeo Parish continued the strong tradition of the Permanent Deaconate. Dan Brink and Jim Olshefski were accepted into Diaconate formation, becoming Lectors in July 2012, Acolytes in June 2013, and finally being ordained as Permanent Deacons in June 2014. Jim Olshefski was assigned initially to Saint Charles Borromeo and later assigned to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Dan Brink was assigned to Saint Gabriel the Archangel. Jerry Williams and Frank Peak celebrated 30 years as ordained Permanent Deacons and retired from active ministry in June 2014. Continuing the tradition, Victor Quiason was accepted into candidacy for Permanent Deacon in June 2015. Other Saint Charles parishioners and former parishioners also pursued religious vocations. Natalie Stump entered the Postulancy of The Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecelia in 2012 and professed simple vows as Sister Mary Gemma, OP, in July 2014. In October 2014, Joshua Bartlett was ordained as a Transitional Deacon and then ordained a priest in May 2015, celebrating a Mass of Welcoming at Saint Charles in June of 2015. Matthew Bartlett was consecrated as Brother Juniper, Franciscan Brothers of Peace, in October 2014. Parishioners were saddened to learn of the passing of Father Salvador Rojas, pastor of Saint Charles‘ sister parish in Guatemala, and Saint Charles Borromeo parish held a memorial Mass in his honor in June 2014. The parish also mourned the loss of retired Deacon John Koch who died in December 2013.

A highlight of these years was the completion of the debt retirement plan established under Father McClure. The remaining debt from the 2002 renovation was retired in February 2013, but there remained a long list of repairs and maintenance to be addressed for parish and school facilities, including school heating and cooling system, ADAcompliant restrooms, as well as a ‘rainy-day fund’ for unforeseen repairs. While acknowledging these concerns, but striving to avoid a return to debt, Father Totton asked parishioners for creative fundraising activities. The inaugural “Saint Charles Charger 5K Run and 1K Fun Run / Walk” was held in September of 2013 and it became an annual event for the next 2 years. A parish Garage Sale was held in June of 2014, reviving the tradition of parish garage sales from 19912003. The Garage Sale continues as an annual event, growing and each year and making major contributions to school finances.

Despite the balanced budget, financial challenges continued for the parish and school in the last year of Father Totton’s pastorate. Operations Manager Deacon Joe Whiston’s January 2016 column in the Bulletin announced the completion of an $800,000 renovation to the school, but there remained approximately $500,000 in necessary repairs. The financial report in the May 7/8 Bulletin indicated a $217,132 deficit fiscal year to date.

On May 9, 2016, there was a parish-wide call for an urgent town hall meeting to discuss the future of the school for the 2016-17 school year and beyond. 400 parishioners and school families attended the townhall, and many spoke in favor of keeping the school open. Fox4 News picked up the story, “65-year-old school given three days to raise money to remain open”, highlighting the need to raise $200,000 in three days to keep the school open. It also noted that since 2008, enrollment had dropped from 525 to 182 students and was expected to drop another 40 students in the coming year. During the week following the town hall, many came forward with one-time gifts amounting to $90,000. An anonymous donor pledged to underwrite the gap for 3-years, while a long-term plan was developed and implemented to place the future of the school on sturdier ground. These steps ensured the school doors would open in the fall of 2016, but much work remained to make the school viable for the future.