On April 5, 1959, the division
of Blessed Sacrament Church and the establishment of the Church of the
Nativity came to be. At this time, Most Reverend Paul Hallinan was Bishop
of Charleston, Reverend Monsignor John J. McCarthy was Pastor of Blessed
Sacrament Church and Reverend Theodore T. Cilwick was Pastor of Saint Patrick
Church, Charleston. Bishop Hallinan decreed the division of Blessed Sacrament
Parish, "in order to provide more adequately for the spiritual welfare
of its members."
Father Cilwick was assigned
as pastor of the newly formed Church of the Nativity Parish which had approximately
1400 members. The Church of the Nativity was dedicated by Bishop Hallinan
on April 10, 1959. The same day, Father Cilwick celebrated the first mass
at the Church.
Coinciding with the construction
of the church was the creation of a Catholic school with only four classrooms
for grades one through four. It opened its door that same day to 160 students
from Blessed Sacrament School. The school now has an enrollment of approximately
150 students from kindergarten through grade eight.
During Monsignor Robert J.
Kelly's administration, the building of the present church was started.
Reverend Joseph. G. Maher celebrated the first mass in the new church on
Easter, March 29-30, 1986.
On January 24, 1998, Bishop
David B. Thompson celebrated the Mass of Dedication for the new church
building (shown in photo). This was a special occasion for the parish to
celebrate its history and to honor the present and former pastors.
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