August 1, 2001

 

EARLY HISTORY

Early 1880s        The first Catholics arrived in the area from County Cork Ireland about four generations ago. They were ancestors of the McGrath family who still reside in the area. From this time until the early 1900's the congregation grew to about 40 members. During this period Mass was held in the homes of the church members.

Late 1940s                                During the late 1940's the children of Catholic families attended Catholic camp at

Rocky Bottom North Carolina for three weeks during the summer. The camp was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the depression. Nuns taught the children and many received their First Communion around age 13 while attending this camp. During the school year some of the children attended the Methodist Sunday school.

Under the direction of Bishop Francis F. Reh a sincere effort was made to locate property in the town of McCormick for a new church. It soon became apparent that no property would be available for a Catholic Church within the town limits. In February of 1963 Bishop Reh purchased the present property (approximately 18 acres) on Route 221 from P.P. Deason for $3500.

At this same time the church in Greenwood was growing and they were building a new larger church. It was decided that the church in Greenwood would meet the needs of the Catholic community in McCormick. The decision was made to move the little chapel to McCormick. Once again the church met with difficulty when it tried to secure permits to move the building. They were denied by the highway department, saying the building was too tall to move. The community sought the help of State Senator Lawrence L. Hester and he secured the permits in short order.

It took days to move the church from Greenwood to its present site on Route 221. Local historian, Bob Edmonds, was the construction engineer for the McCormick County Highway Department at the time. When the church arrived at the site, large trees had to be removed to get it to the top of the knoll. When the church was moved on to the property it promptly sank in the mud and caterpillar tractors had to be brought in to pull it out. The church was clad with brick veneer soon after its arrival.

It didn't take long for problems to develop. After the building was in place, the bills for moving electric and telephone wires to accommodate the move started to arrive from the state of South Carolina- $1500 each. Since the church did not have $3000, they once again enlisted the help of Senator Hester. He took the bills to Columbia and brought them back stamped 'paid'.

The original church, which was built in 1926 in Greenwood as a result of a bequest made by a Mrs. Joseph F. Gallagher of Philadelphia, was rededicated as The Church of the Good Shepherd on March 19, 1964, by Bishop Reh and the new pastor, Fr. Henry J. Burke. Many of the parish members attended this same church when it was known as Our Lady of Lourdes located on Grace Avenue in Greenwood. They were happy to have the little chapel to call their own.

The statue of the Good Shepherd, located in the churchyard, was broken when it arrived in McCormick by train. Not to be deterred, the members repaired it and erected it in its present location. The cracks can still be seen in the hand.

1989 - The parish has had steady growth since the development of Savannah Lakes Village

the present in 1989. Under the leadership of Sr. Joan Kobe, DW, the parish now boasts 100

families and the little chapel is once again bursting at the seams. This has lead to a need for two services on Sunday and the desire for a community building project.

RECENT HISTORY

1990s    Father Geary at Sacred Heart in Abbeville was responsible for Sacred Heart and its mission church, Good Shepherd, in McCormick.

Dec 1994                Fr. Geary was ill, Sr. Joan Kobe was assigned as the Pastoral Administrator for both churches.

April 1995                               Fr. Geary left due to illness

June 1995                                Fr. Lussier was assigned to the parish

Fall 1995                                Good Shepherd Women's Club was formed. Initial activity was to clean the church.

Activities expanded to include fundraising and supporting other parish functions.

Feb 1996                Joint meeting of Sacred Heart and Good Shepherd with diocesan officials to discuss financial viability of both communities. Bulk of financial support for resident priest came from Sacred Heart.

Oct 1996                               Fr. Lussier departed.

 

Feb. 1997                                Request to Bishop Thompson for a hall at Good Shepherd.

In response to the request the Diocese provided guidelines for any capital campaign or building project. They are:

Written request to conduct a capital project and approval from the bishop Completion of a financial packet and Diocesan Finance Office approval

A Parish Plan which includes a Mission Statement and Vision Statement, Parish History, parish and community demographics and growth projections, and a conceptual design of the project. Seven thousand dollars was authorized to meet with a design professional. Meet with cluster partners to develop a cluster growth and development plan Meet with the Office of Stewardship and Development for assistance with fund raising endeavors Appear before the Diocesan Building Commission to present the conceptual design, preliminary drawings and final architectural renderings after contractor has been hired. Submission of Monthly Progress Reports

During this time the parishes were required to do a Parish Self-Study as part of the implementation of a Diocesan Synod. The self study evaluated the church's ability to expand in the following areas: Prayer and Worship, Christian Formation, Evangelization, Social Outreach , Youth Ministry and Stewardship Church members were heavily involved in the study.

Fall of 1997          Parish Self Study concluded that limited space prevented growth in all areas outlined by the Synod.

Oct 1997                               Retreat was held to attend to spiritual growth and begin consideration of future needs

Nov 1997                               Survey of Parish Property

Town Meeting presentation which proposed full use of the entire Good Shepherd property. The proposed design included a church, parish center, grade school, nursing home and playing fields. The parishioners approved only a church and parish center.

March 1998        Building Committee was established, all were welcome to join.

A NEEDS ASSESSMENT was completed. The community's primary concerns were:

Evangelization, social outreach and education activities are limited because of a lack of minimum essential facilities Lack of resident priest

·         Parishioner participation suffers because there are no meeting areas.

Spring 1998        Work was done on a survey to get consensus from parishioners. Decision to wait until fall because many parishioners are absent in summer.

A meeting with Diocesan Stewardship Office on conducting a capital campaign.

Nov 1998                               Meeting held with Cluster Churches (within 50 mile radius) to review each parish's

concerns and assess opportunities for sharing the burdens. OUTCOME: Distance constraints inhibit Good Shepherd from utilizing the Cluster priests, parish halls. Greenwood priests are close enough but are spread too thin to support another faith community

Pastoral Council was established to focus on the vision for this Faith Community. They began work on the Mission and Vision Statements which are required by the Diocese as part of the Synod implementation. At that time the Building Committee was disbanded.

Jan 1999                               At a meeting with the Bishop and diocesan financial people, Sister used the opportunity

to discuss concerns of McCormick's Catholic community: sacramental coverage, space needs, actual and projected growth statistics for Sacred Heart and Good Shepherd.

Jan-Mar 1999     Series of Deanery Cluster meetings were held to discuss possible options for Sacramental coverage. Our cluster includes churches located in Abbeville, Greenwood, Joanna, Laurens and Newberry. These meetings reaffirmed the need for expanded building facilities in McCormick.

July 1999                               A 7:30 am service was added at Good Shepherd.

Aug 1999                               A Town meeting was held, 60 parishioners attended

Mission and Vision Statements were presented and revisions were discussed.

A proposal for a multi-function building, projected to cost over $1 million was made. This proposal was

rejected because:

  1. the community had not had input into the design
  2. concerns that growth projections were unrealistic
  3. financial projections were not based on accurate data

Oct 1999                               Cluster meeting in Laurens again affirmed that Good Shepherd needed to provide its

own space independently of the cluster churches.

Town Meeting was held to finalize the parish Mission and Vision Statements using input from parish at large.

Nov 1999                               Revised Mission Statement was distributed to all parishioners. It outlined the goals of

the parish community:

PRAYER and WORSHIP

To continue to nurture our faith life through prayer and worship

 

CHRISTIAN FORMATION

To foster and support Christian formation for all our members; bible study, religious programs in correctional and health care institutions, training in various ministries

 

 

 

 

 

EVANGELIZATION

To implement activities which will attract non-attending Catholics and non-affiliated persons.

 

COMMUNITY BUILDING

To encourage community building by providing social activities for interaction, the development of men and women's clubs, a welcoming committee, an emergency communication network and support ecumenical activities.

 

SOCIAL OUTREACH

To participate and volunteer in service to community, especially the sick, the poor, the vulnerable, the homebound.

 

YOUTH MINISTRY

To identify and reach out to the youth in our community who are in need.

 

STEWARDSHIP

To donate our gifts of time, talent and treasure in support of our Christian mission.

Early 2000      Pastoral Council visited neighboring parishes e.g., Easley, Chapin to obtain information to further refine potential building plans.

Pastoral Council organized committees to carry out the Mission Statement and facilitate realization of the vision.

Feb. 2000       Brian Kelly from the Diocesan Building Committee met with all interested parties to give guidance regarding the building process. A list of diocesan requirements was provided with plans to build a Parish Center adjacent to the existing church.

June 2000                       Process initiated to have road S33-S254 returned from the state to the church.

Stewardship Committee was formed. The committee's first order of business was to develop plans for a new facility.

April 2001      The Pastoral Council held a town meeting in which a conceptual design for a new Parish Life Center located adjacent to Good Shepherd Church was presented. Fifty-six of the 73 attendees gave approval to proceed with this concept. There were 9 abstentions. Consensus was that a Parish Community Center built to accommodate up to 400 people should meet our spiritual, social, education and community outreach needs in the future.

June 2001                        Road S33-S254 was returned from the state and registered with the

county.

 

Dec 2001                The diocese gave permission for a capital campaign. Membership is over

100 families.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD MISSION

PRAYER and WORSHIP COMMITTEE - 8 members

Instituted Welcome greeters at each Mass                                                                                           Newcomer welcome

Processional and recessional at each Mass
Music Committee to select pieces to reflect the liturgy
Organized a Church cleaning schedule

Church decorating committee- prepares sanctuary, dresses altar and

makes banners appropriate to the liturgical occasion

Organized a lenten food drive for a local charity

Established a Communion Sendee and Stations of the Cross during Lent

EVANGELIZATION COMMITTEE- 7 members

Contacted Good Shepherd parishioners who attend other Catholic     Churches

Contacted non-attending parishioners to encourage enrollment and participation at Good Shepherd

Encourage daily prayer for renewal in church bulletin announcements

Advertised Holy Week services at Good Shepherd Church in area newspaper

Sponsored a Question and Answer session on the Catholic faith. Fr. William Barta presided over this

informative session.

COMMUNITY BUILDING - 7 members

Provide events for parishioners to interact and get to know one another. A monthly brunch is scheduled at

local restaurants. A fall picnic, a golf tournament and a holiday dinner will be held this year.

Established a call tree for emergency communications.

Formed a very active Women's Club (42 members):

Serves as a new parishioner Welcome Committee providing information about church activities.

Conducted five fund raisers

Adopted a cottage at the John de la Howe Children's School. Provided birthday and Christmas parties for

the girls who live

in the cottage.

d) Sent flowers sent to the new Lutheran Church dedication in  support of ecumenical activities

Made a donation to Meg's House, a battered women's shelter

Provided altar flowers at Easter

Bought flowers to shut-ins

g) Cash donations made to McCormick Children's Home

 

SOCIAL OUTREACH-    6 members

Compiled a list of organizations requiring volunteers and distributed it to parishioners. As a result, parish volunteers are currently working in many organizations:

John de la Howe School- tutors and mentors

Habitat for Humanity- Children's Home and four residences

McCormick Senior Center -Meals on Wheels

McCormick Children's Home- tutors, field trip guardians, fundraisers, membership on the Board of Directors

McCormick School System - tutors and mentors McCormick Nursing Home- Bingo organizers, readers, special events ( a Mother's Day reception for 90

residents was held)

McCormick County Literacy Organization- tutor, serve on Board

Emergency Medical Services- First Responders

Helping Hands- Food pantry, clothing donations and committee work

Lions and Rotary Club - service oriented organizations

MEGS House ( Women's Shelter in Greenwood)

Lutheran Hospice

Made an indoor courtyard for the residents of the Nursing Home. Built two sun screened shelters, procured donations for three benches and planted flowers.

                 Formulating a Parish Disaster Plan

STEWARDSHIP- 9 members, Building Comm -11 members

Listed and began repairs and maintenance on the current building

Oversees the activities related to the parish expansion.

Participated in the data gathering and presentation to the parish and diocese

Developing materials and a strategy for a Capital Campaign

Formed a sub committee, called the Building Committee, responsible for coordinating the design phases,

procuring architects and contractors and ensuring that the new building meets the design requirements.

Worked with a build/design firm to obtain a conceptual design of a parish life center.

Presented the conceptual design for parish approval

Initiated the search for an architect

 

 

May 2002                       Sister Joan is reassigned to St. Francis in Walhalla, South Carolina.

 

Fr. Allam Marreddy arrives from India and is assigned to Sacred Heart in Abbeville and

Good Shepherd is McCormick, as parochial vicar.

Fr. Richard Harris is named pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Greenwood and also Sacred Heart and Good Shepherd.

September 2002         The beautification committee is formed to improve the looks of the grounds.

2003        The Good Shepherd choir was formed and Jim Giles was hired as
director of music.

2004                                       Fr. Marreddy celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination.

2005                                       October 5 we broke ground for the parish life center.

2006              

             March 3                Formation of the Good Shepherd Men’s Club with Rod Wurst serving as it’s first president.

             May                Good Shepherd hires their own secretary/bookkeeper. Up to this point the secretary at Sacred Heart was handling both parishes. An office is opened in the Parish Life Center.               

             May 31              The parish life center is completed and Fr. Harris and Fr.
                                                               Marreddy concelebrated mass and blessed the building.

 

July 4        Fr. Harris was reassigned to St. Joseph's Catholic Church in

Columbia, South Carolina

July 5                 Fr. Marreddy was made Pastoral Administrator of Sacred Heart in Abbeville and Good Shepherd in McCormick.

 

A needs assessment committee was formed to evaluate if we should

                                                       enlarge our existing church or build a new church. It was decided that

a new church was the best answer to our needs

 

July 7        The Rosary Garden was completed

                      August              After meeting with representatives of the diocese, Fr.

Marreddy reorganized the pastoral council and appointed new members.

                        October 16        A capital campaign was begun to raise $500,000 for a new church
which is in the planning stages.

 

October 18         Bishop Baker visited and celebrated mass in the new life center.

 

 

2007                        As of March 31, 2007 membership is 137 families.

               

                January 12        1st Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner held in Parish Life Center

 

January                3rd Sunday of the month designated as Food Pantry donation weekend.  All donations are given to the McCormick Food Pantry to help those in need in McCormick County

 

February 25                Men’s Club holds first Pancake & Sausage Breakfast in Parish Life Center

 

February 28                Day of Recollection held in Parish Life Center

 

March                    Lenten Program “Feed Your Body; Feed Your Soul” held each Wednesday in March

 

 

2008                        As of June 15, 2008 membership is 155 families.

 

June 11                Ground was broken for the construction of a Columbarium to be located in the Rosary Garden