Parish History

History of St. Benedict Catholic Church

East Cooper Catholic Community was established by Bishop David Thompson in May 1999. The first community gathering was at a town hall meeting on August 18, 1999 that was soon followed with our first Sunday Mass on September 5, 1999 at Thomas Lynch Hall in Dunes West, Mt. Pleasant.

Early in the parish’s life, many came together to establish a mission statement that continues to inspire the faith community. Our founding pastor and administrator, Fr. Paul Brenninkmeijer, led us on our faith journey “to be a community of learners, discovering how to be Christ for each other.” His emphasis on stewardship, faith formation, ecumenism and community building are the hallmarks of our parish.

Fr. Paul’s unique understanding of church as community stems from his monastic background and Benedictine tradition which provided a vision that many came to love. On February 25, 2001 we announced our parish’s new name – St. Benedict. Our Benedictine-style community inspires many aspects of our parish life including Family Intergenerational Faith Formation (FIRE), communal celebrations of the sacraments, outreach and a deep commitment to stewardship of the many gifts God has provided and will provide for our journey.

Over the past nine years, St. Benedict parish has grown to over 350 registered families. We currently hold our Sunday Liturgy at Cario School in Park West and a Saturday Vigil Mass at All Saints Lutheran Church, our ecumenical partner.   

In 2005, the Diocese of Charleston acquired 54 acres off of Highway 17N at Darryl Creek Trail. This property will be used for our master plan which includes a life center, narthex, church and school on the parish campus.  The master plan was originally scoped out by the Diocese of Charleston in light of pastoral and demographic growth studies commissioned for the East Cooper area.

In a Liturgical celebration on January 13, 2008, Fr. Paul stepped down as pastor of St. Benedict parish and handed his stole over to Msgr. Chet Moczydlowski. Msgr. Chet brings a wealth of parish leadership and expansion experience to our faith community. As we more forward, people of every age and background are welcome to join us in being Christ for each other.

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