A History of Prince of Peace Catholic Church

The history of Catholicism in South Carolina undoubtedly goes back to the exploration of Spaniards through this area in the sixteenth-century, however, only with the establishment of St. Mary of the Annunciation on Hassel Street in Charleston in 1789 did Catholics find a permanent home in the Carolinas and Georgia. It was a generation after the American Revolution, in 1820, when the Diocese of Charleston, incorporating both Carolinas and Georgia, was erected by Pope Pius IX. John England, a priest from Cork, Ireland, was consecrated its first bishop in Ireland in September 1820 and arrived in Charleston to formally take possession of his diocese in late December of that same year.  Shortly thereafter, in 1821, Bishop England established St Peter’s Church in Columbia, which served as a base for Catholic missions into South Carolina’s Upcountry. This territory was staunchly Scotch-Irish Protestant and undoubtedly the mission to this area was often quite difficult. Nonetheless, Catholicism persevered in the area and in 1852 Bishop Ignatius Reynolds, the second Bishop of Charleston, established St Mary’s Church in downtown Greenville. Priests served this church from Columbia, but it became the base for missions to the twelve counties of northwestern South Carolina, the territory that today is the Piedmont Deanery. In 1872 the first resident pastor arrived at St Mary’s and four years later a permanent church building was constructed and consecrated less than a mile from the current St Mary’s. That building was moved sometime later to the present St Mary’s campus, but in November 1904, in the pastorate of Msgr. Andrew Gwynn, Bishop Henry Northrop, the fourth Bishop of Charleston, consecrated the present brick church.  Msgr. Gwynn’s successor, Msgr. Charles Baum, expanded St Mary’s to its current size in 1956.

The second half of the twentieth century saw an enormous population explosion in Greenville County and many Catholics arrived in the area. To meet their needs, new parishes were established in Greenville County. They are Our Lady of the Rosary (1952), St Elizabeth Ann Seton (1972), Blessed Trinity (1975), Prince of Peace (1975), and St Mary Magdalene (1989).  

In March 1974, the Parish Goals and Development Committee of St Mary’s Church decided to examine the feasibility of a new parish for the growing population of Catholics on Greenville’s eastside. The committee sought out Protestant congregations willing to share their space for Masses, which were first offered on Saturday evenings by the priests of St Mary’s. In September 1974, Sunday Masses were added and Lee Road United Methodist Church in Taylors became the mission’s new host. Father Ronald Anderson, who had recently retired, joined the St Mary’s clergy in saying the weekly Masses. In October 1974, land on Brushy Creek Road, where the current parish campus is situated was purchased with the generous financial support of St Mary’s, Greenville. On December 12, 1975, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bishop Ernest Unterkoefler, the tenth Bishop of Charleston, named the Taylors mission “Prince of Peace” with the patronal feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the same month, the missions to Taylors and Greer were erected as parishes.

The first pastor of the parish, Father Thomas Bonifante, established a building committee and organized the construction of the first permanent church building, which is today known as Croghan Hall. On July 15, 1978, the first Mass was said in that building and a month later Bishop Unterkoefler solemnly consecrated it. The parish continued to grow through the 1980’s and in April 1991, an education building, which currently serves as Prince of Peace Catholic School was blessed by Bishop David Thompson, the eleventh Bishop of Charleston. Also, in August 1996, the Parish Activity Center, a multi-use complex, was dedicated. However, the parish growth was just too great for the church building and the need for a new church was painfully felt as weekend Masses were moved into the Parish Activity Center soon after its completion. In October 1999, the parish began a capital campaign to build a new church. Permission to build that church was given to the parish by Bishop Robert Baker, the twelfth Bishop of Charleston, in June 2000 and the architectural firm of Craig, Gaulden, and Davis was selected later that summer to design the new church. The present church was consecrated by Bishop Baker in September 2003. Indicative of even more growth in our parish and the wider area, the parish decided to open a parish school to be authentically Catholic, academically excellent, and financially feasible for members of the parish and community in August 2003. On the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe 2005, the parish inaugurated Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Lady Chapel of the new church.  

               Pastors of Prince of Peace Catholic Church

1975-1976             The Rev. Father Thomas A. Bonifante

1976-1979             The Rev. Msgr. William J. Croghan

1979-1985             The Rev. Msgr. Leigh A. Lehocky

1985-1994             The Rev. Father Paul F.X. Seitz

1995-1998             The Rev. Msgr. Chester M. Moczydlowski, D.Min.

1998- 2011    The Rev. Msgr.  Steven L. Brovey

Further Reading:

            Fr. J.J. O’Connell, Catholicity in the Carolinas and Georgia
            Richard Madden, Catholics in South Carolina

This page was adapted from historical sketches of Prince of Peace published in parish newsletters. Much of the information on St Mary’s parish and the Greenville Missions is found on the historical page of the St Mary’s website (www.stmarysgvl.org).