About Us
Parish History
The Historic Church
The Catholic presence in South Carolina goes back over 200 years. The first canonical parish was St. Mary's in Charleston, founded in 1787. The Diocese of Charleston was formed in 1820 under Bishop John England with six priests. First Catholics moved to the Upstate around 1850.
In 1882, Rev. John J. Monaghan was appointed pastor of St. Mary's in Greenville and raised money to build St. Paul's Church. The cornerstone was laid on October 14, 1883 and is still visible at the southwest corner. The building was enlarged in 1937 with a new sanctuary and additional seating. It features stained glass windows depicting six of the seven sacraments and a handsome marble altar imported from Italy, representing the Holy Eucharist.
The Parish Church
After nearly 20 years of planning and a year and a half of construction, the new sanctuary at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, which faces East Main Street and rises 63 feet toward the sky, was dedicated on Monday, December 9, 2013.
The new 12,000-square-foot worship space seats 820 people. A permanent Baldacchino rises toward the ceiling over the high altar, made of wood, marble, concrete and steel. The church congregation had been celebrating Mass in its gymnasium since 1994.
"Loving Christ, Loving Others"