Growing and Growing
Hardeeville, the fastest-growing municipality in South Carolina, is a destination with an open question: Will the institutions that matter most keep pace with the number of people arriving in the city?
Bishop Fabre spent the day talking about that, starting with a breakfast meeting with a Department of Transportation official, then a tour of already purchased land where the Church’s future in Hardeeville is taking shape. This was followed by a sit-down with city leaders.
The evening brought the bishop to the people of St. Anthony to hear about a parish already running low on space in the pews.
Doing Our Part
Marty Sauls, a former Jasper County Council member and regional economic development leader, opened the morning with prayer. It was followed by conversation between civic leaders and the bishop on more than just area economics. The biggest questions were about what the Catholic Church’s contributions are to this community and whether we are doing enough.
Jasper County is adding roughly 1,600 new home permits in Hardeeville annually, and the I-95 expansion project — the single largest infrastructure contract in South Carolina history — is underway and expected to be completed by 2030.
But too few people know about the Catholic Church’s enormous contributions to Jasper County. Bishop Fabre challenged the parish to think beyond one large campus toward satellite chapels inside some of the gated communities, early childhood education as evangelization, and a more visible Catholic presence in a county growing faster than its infrastructure can keep up.
Continued Expansion
From there, Bishop Fabre toured a new diocesan property. The 37 acres off Hospital Road were acquired between 2017 and 2018 and are still raw and undeveloped.
Hardeeville city officials showed that there are more than 9,500 homes approved roughly a quarter mile from the diocesan property (at Exit 8). The proposed sanctuary, Our Lady of Hope, carries the name of a former Kingstree shrine; the site would be visible from I-95 to every traveler entering South Carolina from the south.
Kevin Farruggio, who works in real estate, walked the tour group through plans, outlining a campus that would include a church, school, parish life center, sports fields and playgrounds. The proposed site plan has earned an amusing nickname: “Our Lady of Buc-ee’s,” because the gas station giant is already under construction next door.
‘Fruit-full’ Ministry
The English listening session at St. Anthony covered vocations, campus plans and the role of the parish’s large senior community. Bishop Fabre was direct when he told them, “Don’t wait to be served.”
In the Spanish listening session, parishioners raised concerns about the lack of a resident bilingual priest, a growing waitlist for children’s religious education and questions about finances and transparency.
Bishop Fabre addressed these issues by telling the community that the diocese had just gained two Latino priests, with plans for more by 2030 to allow for a resident bilingual priest there. He encouraged parishioners to combat the religious education waitlist by beginning catechesis at home. He said it would be a unifying experience for each family, helping to deepen their faith.
Mass was celebrated outside under tents. The energy was lively and the parishioners were happy to be there. The community surprised Bishop Fabre with a mariachi band, a spread of flowers and fruit decorated with a Vatican flag and a bottle of champagne.
Reflection
Across a full day in Hardeeville, the reality of the city’s rapid growth became more and more evident: a parish running multiple Masses with no room to spare and 37 diocesan acres sitting at one of the most heavily traveled corridors in the Southeast, waiting to become more.
The work now is making sure that Catholic presence is built to last.
Every growing community in South Carolina is asking some version of this. The answer requires what Bishop Fabre named across the first three days on the road: structures that outlast individuals, formation that runs deeper than programs, and a willingness to speak plainly and honestly even when it is uncomfortable.
Looking Ahead
Day 4 will take Bishop Fabre from the Lowcountry’s fastest-growing city to one of its most established resort communities. He will visit the north end of Hilton Head Island, where Father Michael Oenbrink will host him at St. Francis by the Sea Church. The day includes Mass and listening sessions with English- and Spanish-speaking communities, a tour of the St. Francis Thrift Store and a meeting with local dignitaries and parish leaders.
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