Newspaper Page Text
MAY 22, 1937
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC L AYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
FIVE-A
St Francis De Sales Parish Plans Church
St. Francis de Sales Parish, Colum
bia’s junior parish, of which the Rev.
Thomas J. Mackin is pastor, is now
completing the seventeenth year of
its history. It was founded in mid
summer of 1920 by the Rev. Louis
Jacquier of the Oblate Fathers of St.
Francis de Sales, for which reason
the church was so named. Father
Jacquier built the temporary church
and served for three years, until 1923,
when he was succeeded by the Rev.
Martin C. Murphy, now pastor of St.
Peter’s and dean of the Columbia
District. Father Murphy remained as
pastor until 1904, when he succeeded
the late Dean Nicholas A. Murphy as
pastor of St. Peter’s.
Father Murphy’s successor was the
Rev. Daniel M. O’Brien, who remain
ed until mid-summer of 1936, when ill
bealth compelled his retirement.
Father I Edmund Burke of St. Pat
rick’s Church, Charleston, acted as
administrator until October 1, 1936,
When Father Mackin, formerly pastor
ef St. Paul’s Church, Spartanburg,
was named pastor.
St. Francis de Sales Church is lo
cated in that part of Columbia known
as Shandon, within the city limits,
and about three miles from the center
of the city, the famed State House.
The church, a rebuilt K. of C. War
time Recreation Building at Camp
Jackson, is located at 516 Maple
Street.
St. Francis de Sales parish is in the
line of growth of Columbia, and is
in a section of the city which is ex
periencing a phenomenal growth of
homes and stores. At this time with
in the limits of the parish fully 125
new buildings, mostly stores, are be
ing erected; it is probable that the
parish will witness more new homes
built within its confines than any
other parish in South Carolina, thus
giving an assurance of its future.
One of the greatest projects antici
pated in Shandon is the erection of a
new church, which is covered in an
article elsewhere in this issue.
FATHER MACKIN, St. Francis de
Sales parish’s pastor, is one of the
most ^ able, zealous and beloved pas
tors m the Southeast. Bom in Cathe
dral parish, Chicago, Father Mackin
was educated at Mt. Carmel Parochial
School, St. Vincent’s Catholic High
School, Evanston Academy, prep
school of Northwestern University,
the University of Notre Dame and
the College of Science at the Catholic
University of America, Washington,
D. C. At Notre Dame Father Mackin
lived in the same hall with the Very
Rev. John F. O’Hara, C. S. C., then
a student, now president, and the late
famed Knute Rockne. In 1913, he en
tered St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore,
received all minor orders at the
hands of the late Bishop Thomas
Shahan, rector of the Catholic Uni
versity, and was ordained to the
priesthood in May, 1918.
As a lay student at the Catholic
University, Father Mackin became
acquainted with Monsignor William
T. Russell, as a member pf the Good
Shepherd League at St. Patrick’s,
Washington, where Bishop Russell
was then pastor. When Bishop Rus
sell was appointed to Charleston, he
invited Father Mackin, who had
started his studies for the priesthood,
to the Charleston Diocese, and as a
result Father Mackin was ordained
for the Diocese of Charleston.
Father Mackin came to Charleston
after his ordination, was curate at
the Cathedral, secretary to Bishop
Russell during the war, and at the
same time acted as first pastor of
Our Lady of Ransom Church,
Georgetown, chaplain at the Marine
Barracks at Parris Island, attended
St. Peter’s at Beaufort and St. Mary’s
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at Yonge’s Island, and was emer
gency chaplain at various camps
throughout the Diocese.
In October, 1919, Bishop Russell ap
pointed Father Mackin die first resi
dent pastor of the Anderson mis
sions, with 7,000 square miles of ter
ritory. Having no house in which to
live, he had a room with a Methodist
family and dined with a Presbyterian
family, who showed him every kind
ness and consideration. He establish
ed regular services for the Catholic
Cadets at Clemson College, and did
fine work in repairing church prop
erties and in cleaning and planting
them through his mission territory,
which was almost as large as Massa
chusetts.
Bishop Russell then insisted that
Father Mackin have a house of his
own in which to live, and appointed
him pastor at Orangeburg and its
4,000 square miles of mission terri
tory, including Blackville, Barnwell,
Bamberg, Springfield and other cities
of size, thirteen missions and stations
among them. Here he repeated his
work at Anderson, remaining until
October, 1922, when he was named
pastor of St. Mary’s of Perpetual
Succour at Camden and its missions,
including the venerable old St.
Peter’s Church. He landscaped and
otherwise developed the Camden
property in such a way that it be
came one of the most beautiful places
in that beautiful resort, developing
also a fine current of distinguished
Catholic visitors from the North.
In October, 1926, Father Mackin was
appointed pastor of St. Paul’s Church,
Spartanburg, with its missions, in
cluding Gaffney and Union, repeating
here his work of beautifying in his
previous parishes. Here he remained
until appointed to St. Francis de
Sales, where he immediately applied
himself to plans for the erection of
the church, thus carrying out a pro
gram Father Murphy had close to his
heart as pastor when the depression
intervened.
Father Mackin’s efforts to beautify
the church properties with which he
has been connected is characteristic
of him, for he is ever striving to re
veal the beauty of Catholic teaching,
liturgy, history and other phases of
the church. He is credited by so dis
tinguished an authority as Monsignor
Gwynn as being a liturgical special
ist; he has deepened the interest of
many priests of the Diocese to the re
turn to the ancient and medieval
vestments, • traditionally Catholic
Church ornaments, correct church
music and accurate ceremonial.
In all his parishes, Father Mackin
has placed emphasis on the quality
of the Catholicity of his congrega
tions, and has impressed upon his
parishioners the necessity of sacrifice
in order to develop it. He abhors
spineless Catholics, and his every
effort is bent toward making his par- j
ishioners proud of their faith.
Father Mackin has served in every
Tentative plans are being consider
ed right now of the needed new
St. Francis DeSales Church, at Co
lumbia. The parish desires to have
the new church known for its per
fect embodying of all that goes to
, make a thoroughly Catholic house of
i worship.
| Its excellence will not be most evi-
1 dent in its size nor in the cash out-
i lay, but rather in its perfection of
design and in the fineness of all that
will comprise its appointments,. It
is hoped to have it thoroughly mod
em in its ministration to physical
comforts in the way of seating, light
ing, heating and cooling. The tradi
tional forms will be employed in
architecture and the appointments
and ornaments will all be in accord
with the architecture.
The nave will be marked off from
the choir, which in turn will be well
set apart from the sanctuary. It is
hoped that the time may come when
the proper male liturgical choir will
occupy the choir stalls, but there will
be a gallery set to one side from the
choir wherein the mixed choir will
be located; both choir spaces so lo
cated that one pipe organ will serve
both choirs.
The architect to be chosen will not
be as a result of any competition al
though in all probability several
architects will be asked to present
their suggestions. Already several
have sketched interior and exterior
j plans. No plan will be accepted un
til it has had the approval of a ref
erence board, the members of which
are teachers of architecture in schools
located variously about the country.
As far as possible the ornaments
and appointments will be made by
hand. As far as possible Southern
products will be used, and as far as
possible Southern and especially local
labor and contractors will be favored.
Two great priest builders will be
asked to serve in an advisory ca
pacity, Msgr. A. K. Gwynn, of Green
ville, S. C., and Msgr. Charles Dubois
Wood, now of Middletown, New
York, but until his resignation some
time back a priest of the diocese.
Both of these prelates have had wide
experience in the building of the
many churches to their constructive
credit. They have promised their aid
to the pastor. Father Mackin.
part of the Diocese of Charleston,
from the coastal plain to the moun
tains, and it is probable that no priest
in the Diocese knows the state and its
people better. He has thousands of
friends among Cathlics and non-
Catholics alike throughout the state,
and his transfer to larger fields has
always been a source of regret to
the parishioners and friends he left
behind. Father Mackin’s parishes
have all been splendidly organized by
him, strong in their Catholic spirit,
proud of their Catholic faith, and St.
Francis de Sales parish in Shandon
under his zealous direction possesses
these virtues in an eminent degree.
Compliments
—of-
S. H. KRESS & CO.
COLUMBIA
SOUTH CAROLINA
Proposed New Church for Columbia
father Thomas J. Mackin,
Pastor, Has Had Career of
Wide Achievement
PARISH ESTABLISHED
IN 1920 IN SUBURBS
OF COLUMBIA, S. C.
FATHER MACKIN