About Saint Mary · Summerton, South Carolina
St. Mary is a small Catholic mission church in Summerton, South Carolina, in the Diocese of Charleston. It was built in 1914 by Lebanese Maronite Catholic immigrants who had settled in the town beginning in 1899, and for decades it was the only Catholic church in Clarendon County. After serving as an independent parish from 1960 to 2014, St. Mary became a mission of Our Lady of Hope Church in neighboring Manning, and it is now served alongside St. Ann in Santee by a single pastor, Rev. Antony Benjamine. Today it remains a beloved, tight-knit worship site — its 2015 historic marker describes it as the oldest Catholic church in Clarendon County.
- Established
- 1914
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (the church is dedicated to St. Mary); the founders were Maronite Catholics, and the stained glass window above the altar honors St. Sharbel Makhlouf, a Lebanese Maronite monk and hermit.
- Rector
- Rev. Antony Benjamine
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston
Why belong here
St. Mary is the historic heart of Catholic life in Clarendon County — the oldest Catholic church in the area, founded in 1914 by Lebanese Maronite immigrants and still in daily use more than a century later. Worshiping here means joining a small, tight-knit community that gathers for Sunday and weekday Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and the sacraments, all served by a single pastor who also ministers at neighboring Our Lady of Hope in Manning and St. Ann in Santee. For Catholics in Summerton — and for travelers passing through — it offers a quiet, historic place to pray that has welcomed the faithful for generations.
Mass times at Saint Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Mass, or by appointment (parish-wide policy)
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: approximately 12 hours a day at St. Mary Mission (arranged by the pastor)
History of St. Mary Catholic Church
St. Mary began in 1899 with Lebanese Maronite Catholic immigrants who settled in Summerton, SC. The nearest Catholic church was St. Anne in Sumter, and Summerton's Catholics either traveled by train to attend Mass or welcomed visiting priests into their homes. In 1913 several families organized a congregation and bought land; the Carpenter Gothic church was completed and dedicated in 1914 by Bishop H. P. Northrop and blessed by Bishop William T. Russell in April 1917, with 37 members recorded. It served as a mission of St. Anne in Sumter, then became an independent parish on April 2, 1960 under Bishop Paul J. Hallinan.
- 1899 — Lebanese Maronite families (Joseph, Nimmer, Shaleuhy) settle in Summerton.
- 1913 — Congregation organized; land purchased for a church.
- 1914 — Carpenter Gothic church completed and dedicated.
- 1917 — Church blessed by Bishop W. T. Russell; 37 members recorded.
- 1929 — Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy begin catechizing from St. Mary.
- 1960 — Established as an independent parish by Bishop Paul J. Hallinan, covering all 599 square miles of Clarendon County.
- 2003 — Gives rise to daughter mission, Our Lady of Hope, in Manning.
- 2014 — Becomes a mission of Our Lady of Hope; centennial celebrated; historical marker dedicated.
- 2015–2016 — Damaged by October floods; reopens April 3, 2016.
Building & Architecture
St. Mary is a Carpenter Gothic church completed in 1914 — the oldest Catholic church standing in Clarendon County. Over the decades its columned front porch was enclosed to form a vestibule, a stained glass window honoring St. Sharbel Makhlouf was installed above the altar, the sacristy was enlarged, and a rectory was built on the property behind the church. In 1993 the house next door was purchased and renovated as a recreational center with classrooms. After the October 2015 floods, the building was repaired and reopened with new doors and a new stained-glass panel reading 'St. Mary,' crafted by parishioner Jerry Luther.
- Style: Carpenter Gothic (1914)
- Stained glass window above the altar honoring St. Sharbel Makhlouf
- Vestibule added when the front porch was enclosed
- Rectory on the property behind the church
- Next-door house renovated in 1993 as a parish hall / classrooms
- New stained-glass panel and front doors added 2015–2016
Connection to Our Lady of Hope (Manning) and St. Ann (Santee)
Since June 15, 2014, St. Mary has been a mission of the parish of Our Lady of Hope in Manning, SC, and the two share a single pastor, Rev. Antony Benjamine, who also serves St. Ann Catholic Church in Santee. The parish office for all three is reached at the same Summerton phone number, 803-485-2925, and the official website for the cluster is myoloh.org. Together, the three worship sites make up the Catholic presence across Clarendon County (and into Orangeburg County at Santee).
- St. Mary Mission — 12 N Cantey Street, Summerton
- Our Lady of Hope — 2529 Raccoon Road, Manning
- St. Ann — Santee, SC
- Pastor: Rev. Antony Benjamine (cluster pastor for all three)
Sacraments & Devotions
Confessions at St. Mary and the wider cluster are heard before Mass or by appointment. The pastor has also arranged for the Blessed Sacrament to be adored at St. Mary Mission for approximately 12 hours a day. Pastors of the cluster have historically included visits to the homebound and outreach to travelers passing through the Summerton area.
- Confession: before Mass, or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration: approximately 12 hours a day at St. Mary Mission
- Holy Day Mass: at noon (parish cluster policy)
Maronite & Lebanese Heritage
St. Mary's founders were Maronite Catholics — members of an Eastern-rite church in full communion with Rome, rooted in the Lebanese monastic tradition of St. Maron. The Clarendon County historical marker at the church records that the stained glass window above the altar honors St. Sharbel Makhlouf (1828–1898), a Lebanese Maronite monk and hermit who was canonized in 1977. That heritage, more than a century old, is part of what makes St. Mary a distinctive worship site in the Diocese of Charleston.
- Founders: Lebanese Maronite Catholic families (Joseph, Nimmer, Shaleuhy)
- Stained glass honors St. Sharbel Makhlouf, Lebanese Maronite hermit (1828–1898)
- St. Mary was for decades the only Catholic church in Clarendon County
Visit & Contact
St. Mary sits in Summerton at 12 N Cantey Street (parish office at 14 N Cantey Street). The parish phone is (803) 485-2925. The cluster website is myoloh.org. The Catholic Miscellany has noted that the church 'provides Mass for travelers' — a reminder that it has long served Catholics passing through the I-95 corridor of Clarendon County.
- Address: 12 N Cantey Street (church); 14 N Cantey Street (office), Summerton, SC 29148
- Phone: (803) 485-2925
- Website: http://www.myoloh.org/
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Scott Buchanan2000
Completed a 2000 study that recommended constructing a new Catholic church in Manning on land donated by the Ridgill family; oversaw the early mission presence in Manning.
- Rev. Carl Kaltreider
One of the early administrators of the Manning mission when it was a mission of St. Mary, Summerton.
- Rev. Vanancio Am... (name truncated in source)
Administrator of the Manning mission while it was still under St. Mary, Summerton.
- Rev. Ernest Hepner
Administrator of the Manning mission in its early years.
- Fr. Maximino Tria2015–2016 (approximate)
Pastor of St. Mary Mission, Our Lady of Hope, and St. Ann in Santee at the time of the October 2015 flood and the April 2016 reopening of St. Mary.
- Rev. Antony Benjamine
Current pastor of St. Mary Mission, Our Lady of Hope in Manning, and St. Ann in Santee.