Church of the Holy Communion – Community Outreach – Food Distribution Center

Church of the Holy Communion is a Religious Organization in Charleston, SC. It is an Episcopal parish that has served the community since 1848, functioning as one of the pioneer Anglo-Catholic parishes in the nation. The congregation focuses on worship, education, and social justice, offering services that include a sung High Mass with organ music and choristers, Low Mass, Morning Prayer, and Contemplative Prayer. The parish is known for its active outreach, operating a food pantry that serves the Cannonborough district and a medical clinic run by parishioners that provides groceries, medicine, and health care to local citizens.

The church building itself is a historic structure with a rich architectural heritage. The main portion was consecrated in 1855, and by 1871 the building had reached its present proportions, featuring transepts, a recessed apse, a stone High Altar, and a hammer-beam ceiling modeled after that of Trinity Hall in Cambridge, England. The parish has a long history of educational and social innovation. After the Civil War, it was the first voice in the city to provide schools for African American children. In 1867, the Holy Communion Church Institute was started to educate local boys, which still exists today as the Porter-Gaud School. The parish also fostered the establishment of a home for convalescent women in 1874 and established the first Boy Scout troop in Charleston in 1916.

For children, the parish offers a Christian education program called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which began in 2002 and uses a Montessori approach to religious education. This curriculum is divided into three levels for ages 3 to 12, focusing on interactive materials and the history of salvation. A nursery for children ages birth to 3 provides a safe environment with free play and craft activities. Adults can participate in discussion groups, including a Podcast Club that meets via video conference, and engage in the parish’s commitment to intellectual inquiry and traditional Christian faith.

The church stands as a foundational institution in Charleston, combining the beauty of Anglo-Catholic worship with a steadfast commitment to justice, mercy, and the dignity of every human being. Its history of pioneering education and ongoing community support reflects its role as a leader in both spiritual and social life within the city.