Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbia, South Carolina Gets

a 6 Mill Facelift - Find Interesting Churches and Places of

Worship in SC
“The History of South Carolina Churches is Fascinating and Profound”
from: www.Churches.sc - Columbia, SC

The History of South Carolina Churches is fascinating and profound. A

Rare and noteworthy Spiritual Gem can be found right in the heart of the South Carolina
Midlands at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia, SC.

She's a Beautiful Lady, shapely and strong, a prominent citizen

much admired in the Columbia, SC Community.

Her beauty has faded, the years have taken their toll, and now it seems a
"lift" here and there will no longer suffice. What's needed is a complete
makeover at the hands of experts to restore the magnificence of a South
Carolina icon.

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral has played a significant role in South

Carolina throughout most of its History. The Church, 4,200 Members
strong, is over 150 years old. Columbia has spoken. Trinity Episcopal is
getting a much needed "face-lift" - to the tune of about three years work and
six million dollars!

Columbia City Planners and the Trinity Mission think it will be worth every bit
of effort and cost to restore this "Magnificent Icon of South Carolina". Last
year more than 1,000 visitors were
registered, from 37 states and 14 foreign countries.

Trinity Episcopal has been an important feature of the

Columbia skyline since 1812.
The well maintained Garden, not visible from the street, is
in the inner sanctum of the "courtyard".
Centennial Oaks grow among
the Historical Graves.

The first Trinity Church was a small

wooden structure in what is now a city
block of Gervais and Sumter streets, in
Columbia. It was dedicated in
1814. Thirty years later, the
present "House of Worship"
building was consecrated, in
1847. It was modeled after York
Cathedral in England.
Trinity Cathedral's Classical Architecture includes some significant features: original metal spire
caps and a lime based stucco on the exterior walls. These are to be repaired and replaced as necessary,
along with wooden louvers in front facade towers, which are believed to be original in the 151 year-old Place
of Worship.

A highly specialized approach will be needed to repair and restore some of the
priceless stained glass windows. The front steps and a ramp for disabled visitors
are in the works.

When Sherman's army came through Columbia, the story is he believed it to be a Roman
Catholic church and because his wife was a Roman Catholic, this building was spared. It has
continued its service to Episcopalians and all of the community ever since.

Historical Timelines
1785
Diocese of South Carolina established.

1786
City of Columbia chartered.

1812
Trinity founded; first services held in the State House.

1814
First church building consecrated.

1833
Peter J. Shand, a lawyer from Charleston, is sent to Columbia as a
lay reader. He is ordained a priest July 1834, beginning a 52-year
ministry at Trinity.
1847
The new church building is consecrated.
1860
South Carolina secedes from the union.

1862
The congregation returns to worship in the newly expanded building.

1865
Union forces occupy Columbia. One-third of the city is destroyed by fire. Trinity is spared.

1894
Daughters of the Holy Cross, the congregation’s women’s organization, founded.

1900
Trinity’s mission to the Olympia mill village beings, a special project of the new rector, the Reverend Churchill
Satterlee.

1909
The Daughters of the Holy Cross begins a fund for aged Episcopal women. Sixty years later, Still Hopes, a
retirement home in West Columbia, opens.

1910
All adults members given the right to vote in congregational meetings.

1913
The Every Member Canvass replaces pew rentals as the primary source of the church’s operating budget.
1914
Ridgewood Camp, initially a mission of the Daughters of the Holy Cross, becomes the first statewide
treatment center for TB patients.

1922
The Diocese of Upper South Carolina is informed, and the Reverend Kirkman Finlay, former rector of Trinity, is
elected the first bishop.

1942
Trinity sponsors the Canterbury Club for Episcopal students at the University of South Carolina, often-
attracting 200 plus participants at Sunday evening programs.

1949
First Daughters of the Holy Cross annual bazaar held to raise funds for a new roof.

1961
The Reverend Gray Temple becomes the fifth rector of Trinity to be elected bishop.

1962
Trinity, celebrating its sesquicentennial, hosts a meeting of the House of Bishops.

1975
The Trinity Foundation is established with funds going only for the special projects, not operating expenses.

1976
Trinity serves as the setting for South Carolina’s religious celebration of the nation’s 200th birthday.

1977
Trinity is designated a Cathedral. The Right Reverend George M. Alexander is bishop; the Very Reverend
James Stirling is named dean.

1989
Under the leadership of the Very Reverend John R. Banks, Trinity Housing Corporation is formed to provide
transitional housing and guidance to homeless families.

1993
The Very Reverend Samuel Glenn Candler is installed as the 17th rector and third dean, following the
resignation of Dean Banks.

1996
The Sure Foundation capital gifts campaign exceeds its $2.1 million goal; the Cathedral becomes debt free
and dedicates more than $750,000 in assets for the endowment. Funds for extended mission and outreach in
the annual budget increase from $36,000 to over $100,000.

1997
Special service of Christian unity honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. co-sponsored with St. Luke’s Columbia.
Trinity hosts 500 clergy in a silent witness against flying the confederate flag atop the State House.

1998 May
Vestry votes to move the altar away from the east wall. Roof replaced on the Cathedral and Parish House,
new organ installed.

1998 Aug. 31
Dean Samuel Candler accepts call to the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, GA.

1999
The Very Reverend Philip Conrad Linder installed as the 18th rector and fourth dean of the Cathedral.

2006
The Trinity Center for Mission and Ministry opens its doors to the parish community and the Columbia
community at large.
• www.Churches.sc helps you find a Church or a Place of Worship
anywhere in the State South Carolina featuring Congregations of
all kinds:
• in Charleston
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• in Columbia
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