About Saint Ann · Kingstree, South Carolina
St. Ann Catholic Church is a small but historically significant Roman Catholic parish serving Kingstree, the seat of Williamsburg County in South Carolina, and the surrounding rural Lowcountry. Founded in 1947 when there were only about forty Catholics in the county, the parish has long been a beacon of missionary Catholicism in an area where Catholics remain less than five percent of the population. Since 2006, the parish has worshipped in the former Temple Beth Or synagogue on Hirsch Street — a remarkable cross-faith chapter in which the Stars of David and Torah scrolls of the original 1948 Jewish congregation were retained alongside the Catholic tabernacle. Today St. Ann is pastored by Rev. Artur D. Przywara as part of the Myrtle Beach Deanery of the Diocese of Charleston, and its work is intimately tied to the Felician Sisters and the Felician Center outreach ministry that feeds, clothes, and tutors thousands in the community each year.
- Established
- 1947
- Patron
- Saint Ann (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Artur D. Przywara
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston (Myrtle Beach Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Ann offers something rare: a small, deeply rooted Catholic community in the rural South Carolina Lowcountry where every face is known and worship happens in a unique sanctuary that visibly unites Jewish and Catholic heritage under one roof. Worshippers experience the sacraments in a former synagogue whose Stars of David and Torah imagery still surround the tabernacle — a daily reminder of common roots with the Jewish tradition. Beyond the altar, the parish's identity is inseparable from the Felician Sisters and the Felician Center outreach, which feeds, clothes, and educates thousands of neighbors in need and draws volunteers from more than ten Christian denominations. It is a parish where the Eucharistic, Marian, and missionary life of the Church come together in a very personal way.
Mass times at Saint Ann
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Mass or by appointment
History & Heritage
St. Ann was founded in 1947 by the local Lebanese Catholic community, which petitioned the Bishop of Charleston to establish a permanent parish and priest in Williamsburg County. Its founding pastor, Father Patrick Quinlin, established seven rural mission chapels and launched a catechetical program with the Grail lay missionary Florence Kaster. The Dominican Father Patrick Walsh later converted a bus into the Christ Our King Motor Chapel to bring the sacraments to remote Lowcountry families. In 2006 the parish moved from its original Main Street chapel into the former Temple Beth Or synagogue, with Catholic Extension's support, deliberately preserving the stained-glass Stars of David, Torah and Menorah imagery of the 1948 Jewish building.
- Founded 1947 with ~40 Catholics in the county
- Founding pastor: Father Patrick Quinlin
- 1950s evangelization to African Americans centered here
- Seven rural mission chapels established in the county
- Christ Our King Motor Chapel (Dominican Father Patrick Walsh)
- Our Lady of Springbank retreat center founded 1955 on 125 donated acres
A Synagogue Become a Catholic Church
When St. Ann outgrew its Main Street chapel, the former Temple Beth Or synagogue on Hirsch Street became available. The Jewish congregation of Kingstree had built the brick synagogue in 1948, but as younger families left the area the congregation dissolved in 2004 and sold the building in 2005. Under Father Michael Okere the sanctuary was gently converted: a cross, statue of Mary, tabernacle, and kneelers were added, while the original Jewish stained-glass symbols were kept. Beth Or means 'house of light'; the first Mass in the new home was the 2006 Easter Vigil, which opens with the praise of Christ the Light — and where the Torah once sat, the Tabernacle now resides.
- Temple Beth Or built 1948
- Jewish congregation dissolved 2004; sold to St. Ann 2005
- Conversion directed by Father Michael Okere
- First Catholic Mass: 2006 Easter Vigil
- Catholic Extension Society supported the renovation
Pastor & Parish Staff
St. Ann is currently served by pastor Rev. Artur D. Przywara, with Jacquelyn Hailes serving as Administrative Assistant. The parish belongs to the Myrtle Beach Deanery of the Diocese of Charleston and counts roughly 29 households among its registered families — a small flock sustained by a deep sense of mission.
- Pastor: Rev. Artur D. Przywara
- Administrative Assistant: Jacquelyn Hailes
- Deanery: Myrtle Beach
- Diocese of Charleston
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education at St. Ann has been carried largely by religious sisters for decades. The Sisters of St. Mary Namur provided early social outreach and religious education, and from 1992 the Felician Sisters took on catechesis, choir direction and care of the parish — providing pastoral stability to a small mission community that had seen thirteen pastors in twenty years.
- Religious education led by the Felician Sisters
- RCIA offered through the parish
- Choir directed by the Felician Sisters
The Felician Center & Outreach
The Felician Center, located across the tracks at 908 Thorne Avenue in Kingstree, is the social-service arm born from St. Ann parish and run by the Felician Sisters. Begun in 1992 by Sisters Susanne Dziedzic and Johnna Ciezobka (later joined by Sister Jacqueline Benbenek), it now feeds, educates and clothes more than 4,000 people each year. In 2012 the sisters received the Catholic Extension Lumen Christi (Light of Christ) Award for this work. Sixty regular volunteers from more than ten Christian denominations partner with the sisters — a living expression of the ecumenism St. Ann has embodied since its founding.
- St. Felix Food Pantry
- St. Clare Clothing Closet
- Blessed Angela Meals (monthly meals for the needy)
- Learning Center / after-school tutoring
- Eye, Dental and Prescription Programs
- Francis Marion University Health Care Program
- Kid's Cuisine children's cooking and nutrition class
- Children's garden (seed-funded by Felician Sisters of North America)
- 2012 Lumen Christi Award from Catholic Extension
The Shrine of Our Lady of South Carolina, Our Lady of Our Joyful Hope
St. Ann's original Main Street chapel now houses the official Marian shrine of the Diocese of Charleston, established in 2003 under Bishop Robert J. Baker with Father Stanley Smolenski, SPMA, as director. Its centerpiece is an icon of Our Lady holding both a rosary and the Christ Child presenting the Eucharist, inspired by Pope John Paul II's 2002 apostolic letter on the Rosary and his 2003 encyclical on the Eucharist, and completed under Pope Benedict XVI's 2007 encyclical Spe Salvi on Christian hope. In 2007 Bishop Baker blessed a seven-foot marble statue of Our Lady in the outdoor grotto — the last official act of his Charleston episcopate — and a plaque there reads 'Leave Your Burdens Here.' The shrine also houses over 200 relics collected by Father Stan during his studies in Rome. Mass is celebrated daily around 1 p.m. by reservation.
- Diocesan shrine of the Diocese of Charleston
- Director: Father Stanley Smolenski, SPMA (Baptistine hermit)
- Established 2003; icon blessed that year
- Outdoor grotto with seven-foot marble Our Lady statue (blessed 2007)
- Houses over 200 relics from Father Stan's Roman studies
- Shrine address: 330 E. Main St., Kingstree, SC (the former St. Ann chapel)
Visit & Contact
St. Ann Catholic Church is located at 107 Hirsch Street, Kingstree, SC 29556 (mailing address: P.O. Box 529, Kingstree, SC 29556). The parish office can be reached at (843) 355-5234 or by email at [email protected], and additional information is published at http://stannkingstree.org/. The shrine on Main Street is about 30 miles from Interstate 95 and roughly 70 miles west of Myrtle Beach.
- Address: 107 Hirsch Street, Kingstree, SC 29556
- Mailing: P.O. Box 529, Kingstree, SC 29556
- Phone: (843) 355-5234
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stannkingstree.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Patrick Quinlinfounding pastor (1947)
Founded St. Ann in 1947; established seven rural mission chapels in Williamsburg County and brought lay missionaries including Florence Kaster of the Grail to begin catechesis.
- Father Patrick Walsh, OP1950s
Dominican priest who converted a bus into the Christ Our King Motor Chapel to bring Mass to remote Lowcountry families; first director of the Our Lady of Springbank retreat center founded in 1955.
- Father Michael Okere
Directed the conversion of the former Temple Beth Or synagogue into St. Ann's current home, retaining the original Jewish symbols.
- Father Stanley Smolenski, SPMAassociated
Conducted retreats at the Shrine of Our Lady of South Carolina, Our Lady of Joyful Hope, located at St. Ann's former Main Street chapel.