Bill 4456

                    Current Status

Bill Number:                       4456
Type of Legislation:               Concurrent Resolution CR
Introducing Body:                  House
Introduced Date:                   19960117
Primary Sponsor:                   Cromer
All Sponsors:                      Cromer, Quinn and Sheheen 
Drafted Document Number:           BBM\10505jm.96
Date Bill Passed both Bodies:      19960118
Subject:                           St. Peter's Catholic Church of
                                   Columbia

Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________

House   19960118  Received from Senate
Senate  19960118  Introduced, adopted, returned
                  with concurrence
House   19960117  Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

CONGRATULATING ST. PETER'S CATHOLIC CHURCH OF COLUMBIA ON THE OCCASION OF ITS ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY.

Whereas, early in the year 1821, the first Catholic parish in South Carolina outside the City of Charleston was established in a very young City of Columbia; and

Whereas, that parish was St. Peter's Church, formed by the first bishop of the new Catholic Diocese of Charleston, the Most Reverend John England; and

Whereas, St. Peter's was established for the Irish immigrant laborers brought from Charleston to work on the Columbia Canal; and

Whereas, for nine generations and one hundred seventy-five years, hundreds upon hundreds of families from St. Peter's have played an integral role in the spread of Christian witness and the industry and growth of the capital city -- family names such as Forde, Allen, Khoury, Saleeby, Topshe, Brennen, Cannarella, Otis, Aun, Hamburger, Nauful, Mimnaugh, Tobias, Pizzuti, Regal, Bultman, Callahan, Hoefer, and Bernardin; and

Whereas, St. Peter's, located from the beginning on the 1500 block of Assembly Street in downtown Columbia, has grown dramatically in numbers over its many decades of existence, but even more, the parish is committed to service and to the care of the less fortunate; today St. Peter's is a culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse congregation with members from over forty zip code areas in the Midlands; and

Whereas, the parish's service takes countless forms, but perhaps most notable are its joint efforts with First Baptist Church of Columbia to feed the hungry each Thanksgiving Day at Carolina Coliseum, the parish's many contributions to Oliver Gospel Mission (its across-the-street neighbor for one hundred years), its ministry to the care of AIDS patients, and its concentration on interfaith dialogue and activities; and

Whereas, the physical grandeur of St. Peter's Church was restored in the 1980's under the guidance of the parish's esteemed former pastor, the Reverend Monsignor Roy Francis Aiken; and

Whereas, St. Peter's is served today by its beloved and distinguished current pastor, the Reverend Monsignor Leigh Lehocky and by his outstanding and dedicated assistant, the Reverend Brian Donovan; and

Whereas, Monsignor Lehocky is well-known throughout South Carolina as a leader in the area of ecumenical endeavors, and he has made St. Peter's Church a recognized seat of hospitality, openness, and warmth; and

Whereas, the joyous occasion of St. Peter's one hundred seventy-fifth anniversary is a special milestone for its congregation and an event worthy of particular recognition. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

That the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, congratulates St. Peter's Catholic Church of Columbia on the occasion of its one hundred seventy-fifth anniversary.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to St. Peter's Church, in care of the Reverend Monsignor Leigh Lehocky, pastor.