About Stella Maris · Sullivans Island, South Carolina
Stella Maris Catholic Church ("Our Lady, Star of the Sea") is a historic Roman Catholic parish at 1204 Middle Street in the Moultrieville Historic District of Sullivans Island, South Carolina, founded in 1845 and now part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston. The parish is best known for its modest but striking Gothic Revival church — built of bricks scavenged from Fort Moultrie, with a ceiling shaped like a ship's hull and fourteen stained-glass windows depicting the Mysteries of the Rosary — and for the deep Catholic roots of Sullivan's Island, first planted by Irish immigrant laborers in the 1840s. Today it serves about 1,329 households with a Latin/Tridentine Sunday Mass, a daily Mass schedule, Eucharistic adoration, a Miraculous Medal novena and an active Religious Education program.
- Established
- 1845
- Patron
- Our Lady, Star of the Sea (Stella Maris)
- Rector
- Rev. Msgr. Lawrence B. McInerny, JCL
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston
Why belong here
Stella Maris offers something rare on the South Carolina coast: a small, walkable historic parish where the front door is unlocked at midday, where many pews are still occupied by descendants of the original 1845 Catholic families, and where the Sunday schedule includes both a beloved 5:30 PM Tridentine/Latin Mass and a 9:30 AM family-friendly Mass in the adjoining parish hall. Devotions are concrete and traditional — a Miraculous Medal Novena after Monday Mass, First Friday Eucharistic Adoration running through the night, and Confession every Saturday afternoon — supported by an active Religious Education program (with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd), a parish-wide noon Angelus bell (English-style change-ringing, the first in a Catholic church in North America), and a pastor who has served the island for more than three decades.
Mass times at Stella Maris
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM (in the Parish Hall)
- Saturday 4:30 – 5:00 PM, or by appointment (per diocesan directory)
Adoration times
- First Friday: Eucharistic Adoration begins Thursday night before First Friday at 7:00 PM and continues until 8:00 AM Friday morning
History of the Parish and Its Buildings
Catholic life on Sullivans Island began on June 22, 1845, when Irish immigrants working on Corps of Engineers projects gathered in a small wood-frame church dedicated to St. John the Baptist. That building was destroyed in the Civil War, and Bishop Patrick Lynch entrusted the construction of a new church to Father Timothy Bermingham — an Irish missionary from County Tipperary who raised funds across Europe and the eastern U.S. and built the new walls with bricks scavenged from the rubble of Fort Moultrie. Bermingham died in 1872, a year before the building was finished; Father Henry P. Northrop completed the work and dedicated the Gothic Revival church in June 1874 to Mozart's Mass settings. A striking bell tower was added in 1882 and the exterior was stuccoed in 1885.
- Cornerstone laid: January 18, 1869
- Dedication: June 1874
- Bell tower added: 1882
- Exterior stuccoed: 1885
- Stained-glass windows installed: 1955
- English-style change-ringing bells installed: 1995
- Sesquicentennial celebration held: 2020 (delayed to 2022 by pandemic)
Architecture and Sacred Art
Designed by John H. Devereaux, one of Charleston's leading British-trained architects, Stella Maris is a small but visually arresting Gothic Revival church built of Fort Moultrie brick, with a ceiling shaped like the hull of an upturned ship. The walls are sheathed in hand-carved cypress paneling with Corinthian-capped columns, and an ornamental entablature of interlocking carved circles — symbolizing eternal life — runs around the interior above the windows. Fourteen stained-glass windows, installed in 1955, depict the Mysteries of the Rosary; the 15th mystery is represented by the statue of the Virgin and Child on the high altar.
- Architect: John H. Devereaux
- Style: Gothic Revival with nautical motif
- Materials: brick (from Fort Moultrie); cypress altar paneling and cornice; stuccoed exterior (1885)
- Stained glass: 14 Rosary-mystery windows (1955)
- Statue of the Virgin and Child on the high altar
- Seating capacity: 275
Clergy and Staff
The parish is led by Rev. Msgr. Lawrence B. McInerny, JCL — a fifth-generation Sullivan's Islander, baptized at Stella Maris in 1951, alumnus of Bishop England High School, and pastor for more than 35 years. He is assisted by Parochial Vicar Rev. Timothy D. Tebalt and Deacon Jason Vaughan, who also serves as Pastoral Associate and Director of RCIA. Ann Thompson, LMSW coordinates parish ministries and outreach; Stephen Collins serves as Finance. Those wishing to get involved in parish ministry are invited to contact Ann Thompson at (843) 607-0135.
- Pastor: Rev. Msgr. Lawrence B. McInerny, JCL
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Timothy D. Tebalt
- Deacon / Pastoral Associate / RCIA: Deacon Jason Vaughan
- Ministry coordinator: Ann Thompson, LMSW — (843) 607-0135
- Finance: Stephen Collins
Religious Education and Faith Formation
Parish Religious Education classes resume each year in early September. Two years of formation are required before both First Holy Communion and Confirmation, so 1st, 2nd, 7th and 8th grades are required years. The program also offers the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium and an Adult Bible Study. Registration closes in late August; safe-environment/touch-safety training is offered in line with diocesan policy. For more information contact Deacon Jason Vaughan at (843) 883-3108.
- Religious Education program (1st–8th grade, with two-year Communion and Confirmation tracks)
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
- Adult Bible Study
- Registration deadline: late August each year
- Contact: Deacon Jason — (843) 883-3108
Sacraments
Stella Maris prepares parishioners for the full sacramental life of the Church: Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Reconciliation. Baptisms and weddings of multigenerational island families remain a notable feature of parish life; First Holy Communion and Confirmation are prepared through the parish Religious Education program, each requiring two years of prior formation. Confession is heard Saturday afternoons in the Parish Hall and by appointment.
- Baptism
- First Holy Communion (2-year preparation)
- Confirmation (2-year preparation)
- Marriage (matrimonial preparation by arrangement with the parish office)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation (Confession): Sat 4:15–5:00 PM and by appointment
Ministries and Getting Involved
The parish's ministry page directs those interested in any parish ministry, club or activity to contact Ann Thompson at (843) 607-0135. Liturgical and pastoral ministries include Religious Education (with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd), RCIA, parish-based pastoral care, and the music/choir program that supports both English and Latin Masses. The parish's 9:30 AM Sunday Mass is held jointly in the church and the adjoining Parish Hall — a vestige of the building's role as community hub during and after Hurricane Hugo.
- Religious Education (Deacon Jason Vaughan)
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
- RCIA (Deacon Jason Vaughan)
- Pastoral Care / Pastoral Associate ministry
- Music and choir (both English and Latin)
- General ministry inquiries: Ann Thompson — (843) 607-0135
Visiting Stella Maris and the Moultrieville Historic District
Stella Maris sits at 1204 Middle Street on the west end of Sullivan's Island, inside the Moultrieville Historic District — a small National Register district of "island houses" dating from c. 1830 to c. 1930 and the one non-residential contributing building, Stella Maris itself. Historic Fort Moultrie, whose bricks built Stella Maris, is directly across the street. The church is listed on the South Carolina Register of Historic Places. Historically, visitors and passers-by have been welcomed in at midday to sit quietly in the wooden pews.
- Address: 1204 Middle Street, Sullivans Island, SC 29482
- Listed on the South Carolina Register of Historic Places
- Contributing building in the Moultrieville Historic District (National Register)
- Across from Fort Moultrie
- See also: the 1995 English-style change-ringing bell installation (first in any North American Catholic church)
Hurricane Response and Community Role
Stella Maris has functioned as a community staging point through every major storm in living memory. During the 1893 hurricane the current cypress paneling, altar rail and interior cornice were added. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo drove storm surge to hip height in the sanctuary, but the church structure survived largely intact and the neighboring Parish Hall was used for months by the National Guard to prevent looting and to feed islanders returning to rebuild. The parish continues to plan for future storms with a long-proposed new parish hall to replace the aging 1980s Butler building on the same Middle Street campus.
- 1886: survived Charleston earthquake
- 1893: damaged by hurricane; cypress paneling, altar rail and cornice added
- 1989: Hurricane Hugo — hip-high storm surge in the sanctuary; parish hall served as National Guard staging and feeding center
- Future plan: new parish hall to replace the 1980s Butler building
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father (Rev.) Timothy Berminghamc. 1865–1872
Missionary priest from County Tipperary, Ireland; raised funds across Europe and the U.S. to build the present church debt-free after the Civil War; laid the cornerstone Jan 18, 1869; died in 1872 before the building was completed.
- Father (Rev.) Henry P. Northrop1872–1877 (oversaw completion)
Young priest recalled to Charleston in 1872 as assistant at the pro-cathedral; oversaw completion and dedication of Stella Maris in June 1874 with a Solemn High Mass to Mozart. Succeeded Bishop John Moore as pastor of St. Patrick Church, Charleston, in 1877; was reportedly considered for Bishop of Richmond that same year.
- Rev. Msgr. Lawrence B. McInerny, JCLc. 1989–present (35+ years as of 2024)
Fifth-generation Sullivan's Islander, born into a family that came from County Clare, Ireland, in 1840; baptized at Stella Maris in 1951; alumnus of Bishop England High School where he also taught; current pastor.