A Brief History of Our Church

The history of the Catholic Church in Greenwood, South Carolina, begins in 1913, when Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Turner and their five children offered their home for the celebration of the Mass whenever a visiting priest was available. As time went by, both Greenwood and its Catholic community grew, and the first church building, a Quonset-style hut donated by the Fort Jackson Knights of Columbus, was dedicated on October 24, 1920, on the corner of Durst Avenue and Grace Streets. The church was named Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

As the church membership grew, a more traditional Gothic church was built on the same spot. It was named Our Lady of Lourdes according to the bequest of a prominent donor. It was dedicated on November 21, 1926. The congregation then numbered 80 members and continued to grow during the next two decades. The church was noted in the community for its annual outside nativity scene, the first displayed in the Greenwood area. Today, the church presents a live nativity scene each Christmas as a gift to the people of Greenwood. The outdoor tableau attracts hundreds of families who gather to reflect on the birth of Christ.
In 1946, Our Lady of Lourdes was made a parish with Father William Doyle as its first pastor. By the early 1960s the parish numbered roughly 300 members.

In 1963, responding to a need for more space, a multipurpose building was erected on East Laurel Avenue to serve as an interim house of worship.

The small church dating from 1926 was then transported to McCormick, where it was rededicated in 1964 as the Church of the Good Shepherd. Forty years later it continues to serve McCormick County Catholics.

In 1977, Greenwood Catholics built a church next to the existing multipurpose building, which then became the hall for religious education, meetings, and social events. It is interesting to note that the Self Foundation contributed $25,000 to the funding of this church building. Catholics in Greenwood have not forgotten this interfaith generosity of our brethren in Christ.

By 1990, Our Lady of Lourdes parish had 350 families; today there are twice that number, which is why the church on Mathis Road became necessary. The grain of mustard planted in 1913 has grown to a magnificent tree by 2004!