A senate RESOLUTION

 

TO CONGRATULATE St. James the Greater Catholic mission UPON THE OCCASION OF ITS two hundredth ANNIVERSARY AND TO COMMEND the church FOR ITS Legacy of Faith and Resilience and its MANY YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE colleton county COMMUNITY AND THE PEOPLE AND THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate are pleased to recognize St. James the Greater Catholic Mission as it celebrates this important milestone; and

 

Whereas, St. James the Greater Catholic Mission's origins began in 1826. The church constitutes a rare example of a rural, southern, African American Roman Catholic parish in continuous existence from its antebellum origins to today. The site is remarkable for possessing a complete, historically intact campus containing a church, a school, and a cemetery; and

 

Whereas, constructed by Irish plantation owners to worship with enslaved African Americans, the first church building of the mission was dedicated in 1833 by the first Bishop of Charleston, Bishop John England. When slavery was abolished near the end of the Civil War, many planters abandoned their land and fled. Vincent de Paul Davis, a formerly enslaved man, served as the local catechist and played a vital role in teaching and guiding the community in their faith. The parishioners often think of the many ancestors of faithful Catholics who preserved their faith without a priest or sanctuary for forty years; and

 

Whereas, in 1897, word reached a traveling preacher, Father Daniel Berberich, who came to the area to help re-establish the congregation. A new church was built in 1909 with the help of Father Berberich, but a tornado tragically destroyed the building in the early 1930s. The current structure was built in 1935 with leftover materials from the previously ravaged church; and

 

Whereas, in 1901, a schoolhouse was constructed next to the church, where over a hundred African American students were educated regardless of religious affiliation. Classes were taught at the schoolhouse until the 1960s, when schools in South Carolina became integrated; and

 

Whereas, members of St. James still use the church and schoolhouse, lovingly referred to by locals as "The Hill." Throughout the years, after the confinement of slavery, through the trials and tribulations of natural disasters and life, the members of this congregation held strong to their faith and persevered; and

 

Whereas, the Saint James African Americans are particularly extraordinary. Parishioners today trace their roots to ancestors who were enslaved by Irish Catholic planters in the 1820s and 1830s. A graveyard adjoins the churchyard and contains the loved ones of the congregation's past and Irish settlers alike, with the earliest decipherable headstone dating to 1835; and

 

Whereas, the rich story of Saint James the Greater Catholic Mission, its numerous hardships, and the resilience of the parishioners' faith are hereby congratulated. The members of the South Carolina Senate greatly appreciate the dedication and commitment of St. James the Greater Catholic Mission to serving the people and the State of South Carolina.  Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the Senate:

 

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, congratulate St. James the Greater Catholic Mission upon the occasion of its two hundredth anniversary and commend the church for its legacy of faith and resilience and its many years of dedicated service to the Colleton County community and the people and the State of South Carolina.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the pastor of St. James the Greater Catholic Mission, Reverend Bruce C. Barnett.

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