About Saint Andrew chapel · Bluffton, South Carolina
Saint Andrew Chapel is a small Catholic chapel at 220 Pinckney Colony Road in Bluffton, South Carolina, that is part of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church. Originally built in 1932 as St. Andrew Catholic Church and dedicated by Bishop Emmet M. Walsh of Charleston with funds donated by Mrs. Andrew (Wilhemina) Wegman in memory of her husband, the chapel is now the historic worship space of a much larger parish. After the new St. Gregory the Great church was dedicated in 2000, St. Andrew was given the canonical status of a chapel and is used for weekday Masses, private prayer, devotional groups, small weddings, funerals, and baptisms.
- Established
- 1932
- Patron
- Saint Andrew (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Msgr. Ronald R. Cellini, VF
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charleston (Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston)
Why belong here
Saint Andrew Chapel offers something rare in the fast-growing Bluffton area: an intimate, historic Lowcountry worship space rooted in the Pinckney Colony Catholic community since 1932. Daily Mass is celebrated here at 6:45 a.m. Monday through Friday (and the 7:00 p.m. Friday Mass in Spanish), and the chapel remains the preferred setting for small weddings, funerals, baptisms, the parish youth Exalt program of spiritual conferences and adoration, and quiet private prayer — all backed by the full sacramental life, Perpetual Adoration, Catholic school, and ministries of the 6,500+ household St. Gregory the Great parish. For Catholics who value historic sacred space, Spanish-language liturgy, or a quieter alternative to the large modern sanctuary, the chapel is a meaningful entry point into parish life.
Mass times at Saint Andrew chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. (at the church)
- Daily after the 8:30 a.m. Mass at the main church
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration is offered in the Adoration Chapel behind the main St. Gregory the Great sanctuary, seven days a week, day and night
History of Saint Andrew Chapel and St. Gregory the Great Parish
Catholic worship in the Bluffton/Pinckney Colony area traces back to 1867–1868 when Eustace Bellinger Pinckney settled at Porcher Plantation. From 1915 to 1932 the simple wooden St. Mary's in the Woods served as the local church; on April 10, 1932 Bishop Emmet M. Walsh of Charleston dedicated the masonry St. Andrew Catholic Church, funded by Mrs. Wilhemina Wegman in memory of her husband. The mission served southern Beaufort County for nearly three decades before becoming a canonical parish on September 10, 1960. After daughter parishes were carved out (Holy Family 1966, St. Francis by the Sea 1984), the parish purchased a 63-acre Highway 278 campus in 1998, renamed itself St. Gregory the Great, and dedicated its new church on September 3, 2000. The original 1932 building became Saint Andrew Chapel, renovated in 2007 for its 75th anniversary.
- 1867/1868 – Pinckney family arrives at Porcher Plantation, only Catholic family in the area
- 1915–1932 – St. Mary's in the Woods (wooden predecessor) used for worship
- April 10, 1932 – St. Andrew Catholic Church dedicated by Bishop Emmet M. Walsh
- 1932–1960 – Mission status, served by priests from Beaufort, Charleston, and Savannah
- September 10, 1960 – Canonical parish erected; Father John A. Simonin first pastor
- 1966 – Holy Family Parish (Hilton Head south end) created
- 1984 – St. Francis by the Sea Parish (Hilton Head north end) created
- 1998 – 63-acre Highway 278 campus purchased from Union Camp
- September 3, 2000 – St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church dedicated
- 2007 – Saint Andrew Chapel 75th anniversary and renovation; parish school opens
- 2018 – St. Gregory campus annexed into the Town of Bluffton
Saint Andrew Chapel Today: Uses and Renovation
After the 2007 renovation for its 75th anniversary, Saint Andrew Chapel became a multi-purpose sacred space of St. Gregory the Great parish. The chapel is intentionally reserved for more intimate gatherings and devotions rather than the large Sunday congregation served by the main sanctuary.
- Private prayer
- Devotional groups
- Small weddings
- Funerals
- Baptisms
- Youth Exalt program (spiritual conferences and adoration)
Sacraments Celebrated at the Chapel
Saint Andrew Chapel is the parish's preferred setting for the smaller sacramental celebrations that suit its intimate scale. Large weddings, funerals, and baptisms that need the bigger sanctuary take place at the main church.
- Baptisms
- Small weddings
- Funerals
- Private prayer and devotional gatherings
Parish School — St. Gregory the Great Catholic School
Although located on the larger parish campus, the parish school is part of the same ministry community that maintains Saint Andrew Chapel. The school opened in 2007 — the same year as the chapel's 75th anniversary renovation — and serves Pre-K through 6th grade.
- Opened: 2007
- Grades: Pre-K through 6th
- Located on the St. Gregory the Great / Saint Andrew Chapel campus
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John A. Simonin1947–1966
Served the mission of St. Andrew's from 1947; on September 10, 1960 was named first Pastor when the mission was canonically erected as a parish; later Msgr. Simonin, celebrated 50 years of priesthood in 1997.
- The Reverend Paul F. X. Seitz1966–1973
Pastor of St. Andrew's parish.
- The Reverend Howard L. Coughlin1973–1978
Pastor of St. Andrew's parish.
- The Reverend Albert A. Faase1978–1986
Pastor; served during the period Holy Family (1966) and eventually St. Francis by the Sea (1984) were created from the parish.
- The Reverend Raymond E. DuMouchel1986–1995
Pastor.
- The Reverend H. Gregory West, JCL, VF1995–2007
Pastor who led the transition to the new St. Gregory the Great campus; oversaw 75th anniversary of St. Andrew Chapel in 2007.
- Rev. Monsignor Martin T. Laughlin, PA2007–2008
Brief pastorate bridging the St. Andrew/St. Gregory era.
- Rev. Monsignor Ronald R. Cellini, VF, VP2008–present
Current pastor; leads St. Gregory the Great parish which includes Saint Andrew Chapel.