Decrees

Canon 1222 §2: Where other grave causes suggest that a church no longer be used for divine worship, the diocesan bishop, after having heard the presbyteral council, can relegate it to profane but not sordid use, with the consent of those who legitimately claim rights for themselves in the church and provided that the good of souls suffers no detriment thereby.

Canon 515 §2: It is only for the diocesan bishop to erect, suppress, or alter parishes. He is neither to erect, suppress, nor alter notably parishes, unless he has heard the presbyteral council.

I HEREBY AMEND the Columbia and Greenville vicariates forane within the Diocese of Charleston to be apportioned as follows: The Columbia Deanery shall comprise the counties of Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield,Kershaw, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, and Sumter. The Greenville Deanery shall comprise the counties of Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Laurens, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union.

I HEREBY ESTABLISH the territorial boundaries for Immaculate Conception Parish, Goose Creek, and revise the territorial boundaries of St. Philip Benizi Parish, Moncks Corner, and St. John the Beloved Parish, Summerville.

I, the undersigned Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina, exercising my ordinary power, herewith create and erect in accordance with the norms of canons 515 §2 and 518, the Personal Parish of Our Lady of La Vang, Greer, South Carolina, with all the rights, obligations, and privileges granted it by law. This personal parish has been created and erected for the Vietnamese Catholic Faithful domiciled in Greenville and Spartanburg Counties, South Carolina.

Having issued a decree effective February 28, 2017, in accordance with canon 515, §2, amalgamating the Personal Parish of Good Shepherd, Columbia, South Carolina, with St. Peter Parish, Columbia, South Carolina; Having considered the present condition of the Good Shepherd Church edifice and the cost of repairing and maintaining said edifice for future divine worship; Having consulted the pastor of St. Peter Parish, which is the territorial parish to which the temporal goods of the Personal Parish of Good Shepherd were transferred, regarding the inability of St. Peter Parish to maintain Good Shepherd Church edifice in good and useable condition as to allow for divine worship;

Protocol No. 2018003 In 1949, the Personal Parish of St. Cyprian in Georgetown, South Carolina, was established to serve the spiritual welfare of the black Catholic Faithful of Georgetown County, South Carolina. Since its erection, the Faithful have heard the Word of God, worshiped, and received the Sacraments of the Church within this personal parish. Over the past decade, a marked decline has been noted in parishioner numbers as well as sacraments received. In an effort to ensure the vitality of parish life, with concern for the best stewardship of resources, and the right of the people of God to receive assistance from the Church, especially the Word of God, spiritual sustenance, and the sacraments, it is now deemed necessary to begin a new chapter for St. Cyprian’s presence in Georgetown while establishing revised provisions for the spiritual care of its parishioners.

I HEREBY DECREE Good Shepherd Church edifice, Columbia, be relegated to profane but not sordid use. I further decree Good Shepherd Church edifice and parcel is to be used or sold by St. Peter Parish as it deems appropriate, providing it is not given over to any use unworthy of its dignity as a former sacred place.

I HEREBY DECREE St. Mary Mission in Hampton will once again be assigned as a mission of St. Anthony Parish, Ridgeland.

I hereby decree an extinctive union (unio extinctiva) between the Personal Parish of Good Shepherd, Columbia, South Carolina, and the parish of St. Peter, Columbia, South Carolina, to form one territorial parish resulting in the subsumption of the present Personal Parish of Good Shepherd into St. Peter Parish.

I HEREBY ERECT the territorial parish of Our Lady of Grace in Lancaster, South Carolina, and appoint Rev. Jeffrey F. Kirby, STL, as its administrator. The territorial boundaries will remain as previously established and include:

I HEREBY DECREE the Faithful of the Sumter Catholic Community is placed under the patronage of Saint Anne and Saint Jude. In addition, from this day forward, this Catholic Community is to be known as St. Anne and St. Jude Parish, which is now their canonical title, and I direct that this decree be published on the website for the Diocese of Charleston, sccatholic.org, which will be presumed the official notification of this action. 

I HEREBY DECREE the chapel located at 1662 Ingram Road, Charleston, be relegated to profane but not sordid use. The grave reasons that motivate this decision were presented in full to the Presbyteral Council, namely... Read More

I HEREBY ESTABLISH seven vicariates forane within the Diocese of Charleston which shall be apportioned as follows:

I HEREBY ERECT the Quasi-Parish of Our Lady of La Vang in Taylors, South Carolina, to serve the Vietnamese Catholic Faithful of Greenville and Spartanburg Counties in South Carolina and direct that this decree be published on the website for the Diocese of Charleston, sccatholic.org, which will be presumed the official notification of this action. 

I hereby decree Our Lady of Mercy Church, Charleston, be relegated to profane but not sordid use. I further decree, Our Lady of Mercy Church edifice and parcel is to be presented to Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach Services, Inc., a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy for use as they deem appropriate, providing it is not given over to any use unworthy of its dignity as a former sacred place. The Diocese of Charleston shall maintain ownership of the building and responsibility for its sustenance.

I hereby decree St. Ann Chapel, Holly Hill, be relegated to profane but not sordid use. 

I hereby erect the Personal Parish of St. Thomas More in Columbia, South Carolina, to serve the Catholic Faithful of the University of South Carolina community.

I hereby decree Sacred Heart Church, Blackville, be relegated to profane but not sordid use.

I hereby erect the territorial parish of St. Mary, Our Lady of Hope in Manning, South Carolina, and appoint Rev. Samuel Oloyede, OP, as its Administrator. The territorial boundaries for the Parish of St. Mary, Our Lady of Hope, Manning, shall encompass the parish boundaries currently held by the Parish of St. Mary, Summerton, which includes Clarendon County in its entirety. 

The relegation of St. Mary, Summerton, to a mission of St. Mary, Our Lady of Hope, Manning, and the subsequent assumption of its territory are to become effective Sunday, June 15, 2014, nothing the contrary withstanding.

I hereby dismember a portion of the territory of St. Philip Benizi Parish, Moncks Corner, and erect the territorial parish of St. Clare of Assisi on Daniel Island appointing Rev. H. Gregory West as its Founding Pastor.

I hereby unite Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Charleston, South Carolina, with the present parish of St. Patrick, Charleston, South Carolina, to form one territorial parish resulting in the suppression (unio extinctiva) of the present Our Lady of Mercy Parish.

I hereby suppress Sacred Heart Mission, Blackville, South Carolina, and unite it with the present parish of Holy Trinity, Orangeburg, South Carolina, to form one territorial parish.

Forthwith, the parishioners of Christ the Divine Teacher are hereby incorporated into Sacred Heart Parish, Charleston, South Carolina. The patrimony, ecclesiastical goods (assets), and debits of Christ the Divine Teacher Parish at the effective enactment of this decree become patrimony, ecclesiastical goods, and debits of Sacred Heart Parish. The territory belonging to Christ the Divine Teacher Parish is to be reunited to Sacred Heart Parish.