- Feb 5, 2002
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While parish closures and consolidations have made headlines across the United States, a lively community of devout Catholics dedicated to deepening their faith has flourished in the South, particularly in South Carolina.
“Being in the Bible Belt, or a predominantly Protestant area, can be a challenge in our faith and causes us to have to know why we believe what we believe,” Father Rhett Williams, vocations director of the Diocese of Charleston and chaplain at the University of South Carolina, told CNA.
“The beauty of the Catholic faith is the more you get into it, for whatever reason, the more you come to love it. In the Southeast, people are moving for different reasons, finding a vibrant community that intrigues them.”
In South Carolina, the Diocese of Charleston traces its history back to its establishment on July 11, 1820, by Pope Pius VII. Originally encompassing three states, the diocese now just covers South Carolina and consists of 95 parishes, 21 missions, 32 diocesan schools, and Charleston as its see.
Continued below.
“Being in the Bible Belt, or a predominantly Protestant area, can be a challenge in our faith and causes us to have to know why we believe what we believe,” Father Rhett Williams, vocations director of the Diocese of Charleston and chaplain at the University of South Carolina, told CNA.
“The beauty of the Catholic faith is the more you get into it, for whatever reason, the more you come to love it. In the Southeast, people are moving for different reasons, finding a vibrant community that intrigues them.”
In South Carolina, the Diocese of Charleston traces its history back to its establishment on July 11, 1820, by Pope Pius VII. Originally encompassing three states, the diocese now just covers South Carolina and consists of 95 parishes, 21 missions, 32 diocesan schools, and Charleston as its see.
Continued below.
The rise of South Carolina’s Catholic population
The Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, which turns 204 years old this month, has seen an impressive rise in its Catholic population the last few decades.
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