Nestled along a row of trees near Baptist Corners in Charlotte is the second oldest Catholic Church in continuous use in Vermont. It was built in the Greek Revival style. White sided, with tall double wooden doors, it stands as it has since 1858, for 145 years a marker in time.

The cemetery, behind charts the births and deaths of many of the church's earliest members, with names such as Raftery, Dufresne and Lessort. The largest stone belongs to the Quinlan family, erected to honor John Quinlan, the man who led a group of thirty Catholic families in the building of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

John Quinlan was a prosperous farmer and devout Catholic. He came to Charlotte in 1844, starting out by chopping wood and selling it for 25 cents acord. He saved enough money for a down payment on 240 acres of land near Lewis Creek. As he could he purchased more land until eventually his holdings totaled 1100 acres.

In the 1850’s the nearest Catholic Church was St. Peter's in Vergennes. The 20-mile round trip by horse or “shanks mare” was an arduous trip for the Catholic families in Charlotte. For the most part they were Irish and French Canadians who had come to farm. As their numbers grew they began to hold Mass in private homes. A priest was sent from the fledgling Burlington Diocese established in 1853. The first to say Mass in Charlotte was Father Cloarec in 1857. Later Rev. Jeremiah O’Callahan made regular visits. But the Catholics were not satisfied; they wanted a church of their own.

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