DANIEL ISLAND—It’s official! The Catholic Community of Daniel Island has a new name, approved by Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone on April 2.
From now on, the parish and eventual church will be known as St. Clare of Assisi.
St. Clare was a privileged daughter of a count who chose a life of poverty. She became a female counterpart to St. Francis and established the Order of the Poor Clares.
Father H. Gregory West, pastor, said St. Clare was the top vote-getter among parishioners and is a beautiful choice, as her name echoes the messages of Pope Francis regarding humility, prayerfulness, and a deep love for the Eucharist.
The process of finding a name started about a month ago, when the priest was first appointed founding pastor of the Daniel Island community. He said members of the community were asked to choose a unique name, one that was not already associated with another parish. When all the nominations were submitted, there were about 30 names, which were whittled down to 16 by the bishop.
Community members then voted on the 16, narrowing it down to the top three: St. Clare of Assisi, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Bernadette of Lourdes. A second vote gave the victory to St. Clare, which was approved by the bishop.
The community will be canonically established as St. Clare of Assisi parish on Easter Sunday and will celebrate their first Mass as a parish that morning at 9:30 a.m. in the Bishop England gym. Father West said Mass is usually celebrated in the school’s performing arts center.
The next step for the growing community is to establish a building committee to begin the search for land. Father West said it is not a given that the church will be located next to Bishop England.
“We have to think boldly and well beyond our own life span,” he said. “We expect this will become a very large parish.”
