Saint Andrews Roman Catholic Church

Saint Andrew’s Chapel is the earliest religious structure in Barnwell. It is also the oldest original Catholic Church in South Carolina. The Chapel was built in 1831, just ten years after the Church in the Carolinas and Georgia had its first Bishop. The first Priest to care for the Catholics of Barnwell came from Augusta, Ga. In 1847, Father John O’Connell began a monthly Mass to the parish. The church building was spared by Sherman’s Army during his sweep through the area. In 1930 the Redemptory priests began their missionary work at St. Andrew’s. Then in 1944, Saint Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church at Barnwell was made a memorial Shrine.

The church began to grow in the early 1950’s with the beginning of the Savannah River Plant, and some changes to the building were made. A social hall was added and stained glass windows were installed. These stained glass windows were originally in the old Ursuline convent of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Columbia, S.C. The church building is surrounded by a cemetery in which many names rich in South Carolina history can be found, such as Adrich, Bellinger, Maher and Simms. In more recent times a home for the Priest was built along with the purchase of another house and property adjoining the churchyard.