About Our Lady of the Valley · Gloverville, South Carolina
Our Lady of the Valley is a Roman Catholic mission parish in Gloverville, South Carolina, in the Aiken Deanery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston. The small parish community worships in an early English rural gothic stone church originally dedicated on December 22, 1946, and was officially established as a parish in June 1952. Its current vision statement is 'Seeking the heart of God — in the heart of the Valley.' With roughly 115 registered households and seating for 145, it serves the historic Horse Creek Valley mill communities and is closely linked to the adjacent Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Center, the area's pioneering social-service agency founded in 1939.
- Established
- 1952
- Patron
- Our Lady (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Kentigern Aririguzo MSSCC (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Valley offers the warmth of a small, close-knit Catholic community rooted in the Horse Creek Valley, where worshippers are known by name. The parish offers weekday and Sunday Mass, Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays, and regular confession, all in a beautiful historic granite gothic church dedicated in 1946. Membership connects a family to generations of mission history — from the Sisters of Christian Doctrine who first arrived in 1940 to today's Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary — and to the continuing outreach of the adjacent Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Center, the Valley's first social-service agency.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Valley
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: after the 9:00 a.m. Mass
- Friday: after the 10:00 a.m. Mass
- Saturday: 3:00–4:00 p.m., or by appointment
Adoration times
- Friday: 9:00 a.m. (Eucharistic Adoration, followed by 10:00 a.m. Mass)
Parish History and Heritage
Our Lady of the Valley traces its roots to the Catholic families of Horse Creek Valley who were visited by priests from St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Aiken. Father George Dietz and especially Msgr. George L. Smith championed ministry to the Valley; in 1940 Smith invited the Sisters of Christian Doctrine from Nyack, NY, and the Langley Textile Mill donated land for a welfare center dedicated May 22, 1941. The church itself was dedicated by Bishop Emmett M. Walsh on December 22, 1946, and the parish was officially established in June 1952 with Father Myles Morris as first pastor.
- 1940 — Sisters of Christian Doctrine begin ministry
- 1941 — Welfare Center dedicated by Bishop Walsh
- 1946 — Church dedicated Dec. 22
- 1952 — Parish officially established; Father Myles Morris first pastor
- 1971 — Sisters of Christian Doctrine withdraw
- 1977 — Daughters of Charity arrive
- 2017 — Catholic Charities assumes center operations
- 2021 — 75th anniversary celebrated
Church Architecture
Our Lady of the Valley Church was designed by Father Michael McInerney, OSB, the priest-architect from Belmont Abbey in North Carolina. It is built in an early English rural gothic style of Salisbury granite stone, with a rough-textured interior, an open timbered ceiling, and stained-glass windows each symbolizing a virtue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The crucifix, Stations of the Cross, and statues of Mary and Joseph were hand-carved by master woodcarver Joseph Noe.
- Style: early English rural gothic
- Material: Salisbury granite stone
- Open timbered ceiling
- Stained-glass windows symbolizing virtues of Our Lady
- Hand-carved crucifix, Stations, and statues by Joseph Noe
Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently administered by priests of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (MSSCC). The Diocese of Charleston directory lists Rev. Kentigern Aririguzo MSSCC as Administrator; Barbara Thouin serves as parish secretary.
- Administrator: Rev. Kentigern Aririguzo MSSCC
- Parochial Vicar (as of 2021): Rev. Emmanuel Ekwelum MSSCC
- Secretary: Barbara Thouin
Parish Life and Ministries
Faith formation and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas are active expressions of parish life, with events such as the Peanut Butter Drive, School Supply Drive, and Quinceañera celebrations on the parish calendar. As a small mission community, the parish depends on the involvement of its roughly 115 registered households.
- Catholic Daughters of the Americas — Peanut Butter Drive, School Supply Drive, Quinceañera celebrations
- Faith formation for children and adults
- Liturgical ministries (Mass support)
Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Center (Catholic Charities)
Adjacent to the church, the Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Center is the oldest social-service agency in the Horse Creek Valley. Originally the Horse Creek Valley Handicraft and Welfare Center (dedicated 1941), it has been staffed over the decades by the Sisters of Christian Doctrine, the Sisters of St. Francis of Our Lady of Lourdes, and the Daughters of Charity. Since 2017 it has been operated by Catholic Charities of South Carolina and continues to serve the poor, sick, elderly, and under-resourced residents of the Valley's mill towns.
- First social-service agency in the Valley (dedicated 1941)
- Catholic Charities of South Carolina — current operator since 2017
- Programs for the poor, sick, elderly, and workforce development
Recent Renovations and Campus Improvements
Over the last quarter-century the parish has undertaken a series of practical improvements to its small campus, many funded through grants. The former confessional was converted into an accessible bathroom so children and parishioners no longer have to walk to the center's restroom during Mass; a new roof, gutters, gutter shields, sound system, organ, and parking-lot light were installed; the entire church and rectory were repainted with mold and mildew problems eliminated; gravel was added to the parking lot; and security cameras are being added to the church and office.
- Confessional converted to bathroom (children's safety/accessibility)
- New roof, gutters, and gutter shields
- New sound system and organ (grant-funded)
- Repainting of church and rectory; mold remediation
- Parking-lot lighting and gravel
- Security cameras in progress
Visit and Contact
The parish is located on Augusta Road in Gloverville, with a gravel parking lot and the adjacent Catholic Center. Office contact is via the parish secretary; phone and email are listed in the Diocese of Charleston directory.
- Address: 2429 Augusta Road, Gloverville, SC 29828
- Phone: (803) 593-2241
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: olvchurchsc.org
- Facebook: South Carolina's Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Myles Morris1952–
First pastor when Our Lady of the Valley was officially established as a parish in June 1952.
- Father Emmanuel Ekwelum MSSCCas of 2021
Listed as administrator at the time of the parish's 75th anniversary (Dec. 2021); a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
- Rev. Kentigern Aririguzo MSSCCas of 2021
Listed as parochial vicar at the 75th anniversary; listed as Administrator in the current Diocese of Charleston directory. Also a Missionary of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.