Despite sitting in the Church pew every Sunday, average parishioners seldom get to know their priests on a personal level. Exploring the life and personality of our pastor, Reverend Victor Sharrett, provides an opportunity to know him a little better and to understand his vision for the future of St. Patrick Church.

As a youngster with a keen interest in animals and life sciences, Father Sharrett considered attending the University of Pennsylvania to study zoology, but God’s invitation to the priesthood intervened. The calling came to Father quietly and without fanfare; he simply followed the suggestion of his closest friends to join the seminary. After attending a parish high school in Lansdale (now known as Lansdale Catholic High School), Father entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary at the age of 15.

After 10 years of rigorous study, Father was ordained in May of 1965. His first assignment was to St. Anthony’s in Ambler. After two years as assistant pastor, another priest friend suggested that perhaps Father Sharrett might try teaching. Even with Father’s lack of enthusiasm for the idea, he accepted an assignment to Bishop Kenrick High School in Norristown in 1967. Father taught Church history, religion, and a few Latin courses during his 10 years at Bishop Kenrick. 

In 1977 Father Sharrett began a 13-year tenure as principal of Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster. 

“Those years were terrific,” Father recalled. “I was so lucky to work with such an incredible staff.” 

After the celebration of his 25-year jubilee in 1990, Father returned to parish work. He spent two years as assistant pastor at St. John the Evangelist in Lower Makefield, and then, in 1992, Cardinal Bevilacqua installed him as the new pastor of St. Patrick Church. 

Southern Chester County’s undeveloped open space reminded Father of the rural Bucks County countryside of his youth. 

“When I came here, the stretch of Route 1 by Longwood was still farmland; that’s how much this area has grown in just nine years,” Father said. 

The rapid population boom of the last decade has brought many Catholics to the area, causing the number of registered households in the parish to skyrocket to more than 1,400. Such enormous growth has presented interesting challenges for our pastor. St. Pat’s recently purchased several properties on Lafayette Street obtaining much-needed space for worship, school, and parish activities. 

“The idea of expanding is not exclusive to the physical space of St. Patrick, but to the involvement of the people here as well,” said Father. 

“The hope is that through our new stewardship campaign more and more people of the parish will find some way to become involved. And as the number of parish priests diminishes, the role of the laity will become more vital to the functioning of the parish.”

When the demands of leading the parish allow the time, Father enjoys gardening, traveling, and reading. His dry sense of humor would probably come as a surprise to most parishioners, but those closer to him know how much he enjoys a good joke. He proudly admits to having solid cooking and housekeeping skills, thanks to his mother. 

“When I left for the seminary, she taught me how to do it all,” Father said. “She said she didn’t want me eating canned beans every night and having no clean shirts to wear,” he laughed. 

A glimpse into the life of the man who is our pastor reveals a talented, well-organized leader who is ready to take St. Patrick Church into the new millennium.