A growing flock

The opening of one of the state's biggest Catholic churches near Kiawah and Seabrook islands is a reminder of the rapid growth of the resort islands and also of the Catholic Church in South Carolina. Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Betsy Kerrison Parkway, which was dedicated Monday, can seat 1,000 people. It replaces a sanctuary that can hold about 300 people. "It's a sign of the growth of the faith," architect John Boudreaux, a Catholic from Columbia, said after the dedication service. The old church was built in 1978, when Kiawah and Seabrook were still mostly marsh and trees and Catholics, the largest religious group in the United States, were a distant minority in the S.C. religious landscape. As Kiawah and Seabrook bloomed into bustling resorts, more Catholics moved into the state. For example, the state's75,382 in 1989 to 126,794 in 1999, according to the Diocese of Charleston. That's an increase of nearly 70 percent. Growth has continued as more Catholics move from states with heavier Catholic populations. Catholics now make up Charleston's fifth largest denomination, behind the Southern Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention USA, African Methodist Episcopal Church, and United Methodist Church. As a result, South Carolina is getting more Catholic churches, and they're a lot bigger than the ones they replace. For example, when St. Theresa the Little Flower in Summerville opened in July 2001, it was the biggest sanctuary in the state, with 1,000 seats. Since then, a couple of other new churches have surpassed it. Now the biggest is Our Lady of the Sea in North Myrtle Beach, which can seat 1,400, said Boudreaux, who designed it. All the seats in Holy Spirit Catholic Church were full Monday afternoon as Bishop Robert Baker blessed the new sanctuary by sprinkling water, anointing the walls and altar with oil, and lighting incense and candles before celebrating the first Mass there. "May this truly be a place where sanctity flourishes," he said in his homily. The church cost $6 million, of which all but $400,000 has been raised, the Rev. James Parker, the church's pastor, told the congregation. To get the ball rolling on paying the balance, Baker donated $2,000 after the service and challenged others to match it. Bishop David Thompson was in office when Parker started planning the church. Thompson took part in the service, and Parker praised him for his help. The cavernous sanctuary is shaped like a cross -- a Medieval theme -- and a cathedral-like ceiling heightens the sense of space. Gothic elements such as buttresses, rounded alcoves and black metal chandeliers reflect a trend toward more traditional church architecture, Boudreaux said. But there's also a Lowcountry feel, with pale green walls with white accents and light-colored wood, Boudreaux said. Several round stained-glass windows mounted high on the walls near the ceiling were made by a company run by the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Augustine, Fla. The white altar and baptismal font were made in Carrera, Italy. Life-sized, painted statues of Mary, Jesus and two saints stand in alcoves in the front of the church. They were handcarved in Ortizei, Italy, along with the stations of the cross. The builder was Gulfstream of Charleston, a subsidiary of The Beach Co.

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