News RSS Feed

Mr. Green is a graduate of the Getting Ahead program. He has since used the tools learned through the Getting Ahead workshop to start a lawn care business.

Hermanas del Corazón de Jesús Sacramentado donated 50 blessing hygiene kit for Monday, 4/17/23 distribution.

Sierra came into our Getting Ahead program when she was seven months pregnant. When she started class, Sierra was on the verge of being evicted, unemployed and had no plan, all while getting ready to bring another child into the world.

We have been working with Matt to gain his trust and make him feel safe when he visits us. He is homeless, lives in the woods alone, and suffers from auditory hallucinations

Catholic Charities of South Carolina brought their ‘Clean of Heart’ mobile shower unit from Greenville to the Our Daily Bread soup kitchen in Seneca and with the help of volunteers from St.Paul the Apostle Catholic Church and Our Daily Bread, set up for free showers for homeless from about 11:30 to 1:30pm on Saturday Sept 19th.

As a national of Belize, he was brought to the United States by his mother when he was 2 years old.

​We were happy to assist Ms. Baldwin in our Save- A-Smile Program. Ms. Baldwin reached out to CCPD in April of 2021 in need of a replacement upper denture and a partial bottom.

An 81-year-old national of Paraguay has lived in the United States on and off for several years while seeking an avenue to become a permanent resident.

Alba and her sister are new arrivals from Honduras and they are staying with an aunt. Both Alba and her sister are pregnant. Alba is 9 months pregnant. Our volunteers helped Alba to shop for food and baby goods in Our Lady’s Pantry.

Iraida lives at home with her husband and 4 children. They are a strong and resilient family who through their faith have been able to overcome many hardships. The family moved to the US from Venezuela years ago to receive better medical care for their 11 year old daughter Isabella, after major complications happened when Isabella was born due to medical malpractice and her suffering from cerebral hypoxia.

The Georgetown Getting Ahead group met with Pinnacle One bank representatives. The group learned about home ownership, checking/savings account, credit repair, and the importance of good banking relationships.

Our Disaster Services team and Vicar General Msgr. Droze stand with our first client in Charleston to have her home completed.

November 18, 2016 HARDEEVILLE—The once abandoned Mercy Ministries Thrift Store in Hardeeville was given new life when Bishop Robert E. Gug­lielmone blessed Catholic Charities’ newly acquired building, renaming it the Mercy Mission and making a dying religious sister’s last wish become a reality. Located at 19869 Whyte Hardee Boulevard on S.C. 170 in Jasper County, the thrift store was once managed by Sisters Mary Gallagher and Lupe Stump, of the Sisters of Mercy. They died in 2012 and 2013, respectively. “Sister Lupe’s very last words to me were of concern that the Mercy Mis­sion continue to serve the poor as a diocesan mission,” said Msgr. Ronald Cellini, pastor of St. Gregory the Great Church in Bluffton. He is one of the community leaders helping to raise the $220,000 needed to refurbish the dilapidated building that fell into disrepair after the sisters died. Construction will begin before the end of the year on the 6,000-square-foot space, which will house the Low­country regional offices of Catholic Charities, plus Our Lady’s Pantry featuring storage facilities for healthy foods, offices for immigra­tion services and a retail thrift store to generate revenue and provide low-cost furniture, appliances and clothing. Eric Phillips, the newly hired bi­lingual regional coordinator of Cath­olic Charities of the Lowcountry, will work at the mission alongside many volunteers. In the future, a ‘Clean of Heart’ center will be added to provide showers and laundering facilities for the homeless. Bishop Guglielmone explained that the mission will serve people regard­less of their faith. “We must reach out to people in need, not just to those from our own faith. We will help them not because they are Catholic, but because we are Catholic,” he said. The bishop was joined at the event by many of the mission’s former volunteers who worked side by side with the Sisters of Mercy and the Knights of Columbus. The bishop’s blessing comes as the Jubilee Year of Mercy called for by Pope Francis draws to a close on Nov. 20. “It is very fitting that the bishop has blessed this building before the end of the Year of Mercy, since Sisters Lupe and Mary who ran the mission were both Sisters of Mercy,” Msgr. Cellini said. “It is a much-needed resource for the community,” said Margie Tomc­zak, a Holy Family parishioner who has been traveling the Lowcountry to educate people about the work the mission did and to raise funds for its refurbishment and re-opening. According to the 2010 census, 25.5 percent of Jasper County families live below the poverty line. The closest Catholic Charities immigra­tion office is located on Hilton Head Island, a 25 mile drive, often impos­sible for the poor. Tomczak cites the impressive fundraising efforts of Areli Fernandez, who has raised $6,000 for the mission through her work with La Isla magazine. For more information about the Mercy Mission, visit www.charities sc.org/the-mercy-mission. BY ROSE EWING | SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC MISCELLANY Photo/Miscellany/Nic Pilch: Msgr. Ronald Cellini, pastor of St. Gregory the Great Church in Bluffton, honors the final wish of the late Sisters of Mercy for their outreach to continue at the blessing of Mercy Mission in Hardeeville on Nov. 6.