BY BROOKSI HUDSON
GOOSE CREEK — Immaculate Conception Church broke ground Oct. 2 for its All-Ministries Center. The facility will provide classrooms for adult education, children’s classes, and RCIA.
Bishop David B. Thompson, retired bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, Michael Heitzler, mayor of Goose Creek, and contractors and architects attended the special ceremony for the 30,000-square-foot facility.
The church has tripled in size since it was built in 1996, and classes are being held in rooms in the rectory, in the community center, and at a school near the parish.
“This new building will give us the opportunity to minister to anything the parish does,” said Adorno Father Frank Palmieri, pastor of Immaculate Conception. “We only have 1,700 families registered in this parish, but that doesn’t even come close to reflecting the number of families we minister to. We have a huge Hispanic ministry, but many of those parishioners aren’t registered here.”
The new facility has been in the planning stages for three years. Construction was scheduled to begin immediately. Wayland Moody, chairman of the building committee, said that he is confident the building will be open for use by May of next year.
The parish has already collected $800,000 toward the $1.8 million building project.
“We are in the last segment of the capital campaign, and we have pledges for the entire building, but things happen,” said Father Palmieri. “We still have a long way to go and we know that. But despite the cost, this is something that we have to do. If we don’t do anything we will stagnate. With no space we will begin to miss out on ministry opportunities.”