On the corner of Assembly and Taylor Streets in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, a Gothic Revival church has stood for more than a century, holding a Catholic claim on the heart of the state's capital city that goes back even further. The Basilica of Saint Peter traces its roots to 1821, when Bishop John England of Charleston sent an Irish-born priest, Father James Wallace, to minister to the Catholic laborers who had come to dig the Columbia canals. The cornerstone for the first church, designed by architect Robert Mills, was laid in 1824. Because it was the only Catholic church in the region for roughly 140 years, it became known as the Mother Church of the Midlands. In 2018 the Vatican recognized that history by elevating Saint Peter's to the rank of Minor Basilica, making it the 85th minor basilica in the United States and the only one in the state of South Carolina.
The Building, the Basilica Title, and the Symbols Inside
The current church is the second on the site. It was completed in 1906 under the leadership of Father Thomas J. Hegarty, who commissioned the architect Frank P. Milburn, designer of the state capitol dome, to draw a larger Gothic Revival structure. Father Hegarty's body was interred in a memorial alcove within, following the European tradition of burial inside a church. Saint Peter's most famous visitor came on September 11, 1987, when Pope (now Saint) John Paul II held an audience in the church before leading an ecumenical prayer service at the University of South Carolina. The chair and kneeler he used are still kept near the entrance to the church, on the south side of the narthex.
With the elevation to Minor Basilica in 2018, the parish gained three visible signs of its new status. A tintinnabulum, a wall-mounted bell, hangs in the church and is rung during the consecration of the Mass. The bell itself is an antique Irish Sanctus bell engraved with the eagle of Saint John, the paschal Lamb, the pelican of atonement and the lion of Saint Mark. An umbraculum in red and gold silk - the traditional papal canopy - stands to the right of the main altar. And an ecclesiastical seal embroidered with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and a Latin banner reading Tu es Petrus - You are Peter - now identifies the parish. The shield also bears a Celtic knot for the Irish founders, a palmetto tree and crescent moon for South Carolina, and the cross of Christ.
Worshippers and visitors who want a deeper look can arrange a fifty-minute church tour with parish docent Karen Williams. Tours cover parish history, the symbolism of the building, Catholic doctrine as expressed in the architecture, and the stained glass windows.
The Heart of the Parish: Daily Mass and Sunday Worship
Liturgy is the beating center of the parish. The normal Sunday schedule offers Mass in English at 9 AM, 11 AM and 5:30 PM, and Mass in Spanish at 1 PM. Weekday Masses are celebrated Monday and Tuesday at 12 PM, Wednesday at 8:30 AM during the school year and 12 PM in summer, Thursday at 12 PM in Latin and 7:30 PM in Spanish. A Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated each week; consult the weekly bulletin for the time. Confessions are heard Saturday from 3:30 to 4:30 PM in English, Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 PM in Spanish, and Sunday from 12:15 to 12:45 PM in Spanish. Eucharistic Adoration takes place on Thursday evenings, accompanied by the Rosary in Spanish, and on Wednesday afternoons during Advent and Lent.
Children are warmly welcomed at every liturgy. A nursery staffed by a trained team of parishioners is available for infants and children up through age four during the 9 AM and 11 AM Sunday Masses, as well as during Wednesday evening Religious Education classes.
Mass is livestreamed on the parish's Facebook page for those who cannot attend in person. The Livestream Ministry, which began during the 2020 COVID shutdown, trains and equips volunteers and has expanded its capabilities since the pandemic.
A Music Program of Rare Scope
Saint Peter's music ministry is one of the most distinctive features of the parish. The program pairs professional musicians with an in-house children's choir of exceptional quality. From the Feast of the Assumption in mid-August through Corpus Christi in mid-June, the schedule runs like this: the Gallery Choir or the Capella Pueri lead the 9 AM Mass, the Schola or the Capella Pueri lead the 11 AM Mass, the Coro Hispano leads the 1 PM Mass in Spanish, and the Contemporary Ensemble leads the 5:30 PM Mass. On Wednesday mornings during the school year the school Mass is sung by the Capella Pueri.
The Capella Pueri, one of the few professional children's choirs in the Southeast, takes its inspiration from the European choir school tradition. The ensemble has been the featured chorus for Carolina Ballet's Nutcracker productions with the Columbia Festival Orchestra, has performed works by Bach in German and the East Coast premiere of James MacMillan's Tu es Petrus in Latin, and has appeared at the Columbia Museum of Art, Vista Lights, and the city's 225th birthday celebration. The Gallery Choir, whose predecessor ensembles sang for the 1987 Papal Visitation, maintains a repertory of Masses, motets and oratorio choruses performed in their original languages and requires an audition. The Contemporary Ensemble, with a 40-year history of providing music at the Sunday evening liturgy, rehearses each Sunday at 4:30 PM and uses the church's nine-foot Steinway piano. The Children's Choir, for parish children from K5 through fifth grade, meets September through May between the 9 AM and 11 AM Masses and sings periodically at the 5:30 PM liturgy. The Coro Hispano leads Spanish-language music and welcomes singers of all ages who understand or speak Spanish.
Sacraments: Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing
Sacred preparation is at the heart of parish life. Parents of infants and young children wishing to baptize at Saint Peter's must be registered, participating members of the parish for at least six months and attend a baptism preparation class. Children typically celebrate First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion during second grade after at least one year of religious education. Confirmation is usually received in ninth grade, after First Communion and at least one year of prior religious education, with a two-year Confirmation preparation journey beginning in seventh grade. Adults preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation enter the parish through OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, a year-long process of inquiry, catechesis and discernment that culminates in the reception of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Catholics interested in serving on the OCIA team are welcome to volunteer.
For those discerning marriage, the pastor personally walks each couple through six months of preparation, including pre-marriage counseling, paperwork and discernment about freedom to marry. Catholic weddings at Saint Peter's may be celebrated either as a Nuptial Mass (for two Catholics) or as a wedding ceremony outside Mass (when one party is not Catholic). Either the bride or the groom must be a registered, participating member of the parish for at least six months and regularly use the envelope system or online giving. Weddings are not scheduled on Saturday evenings or during Advent, Lent, All Souls Day, or Holy Days of Obligation. Rehearsals are held on Friday afternoons for Saturday weddings, or Thursday afternoons for Friday weddings. The parish does not use a unity candle in the wedding liturgy, and only sacred or appropriately reverent music coordinated through the Organist and Choirmaster is permitted.
Anyone anticipating a surgery or facing serious illness may request the Anointing of the Sick through the parish office. Reconciliation is offered on a regular weekly schedule and priests are also willing to make accommodations for those who need extra time or help to prepare. Catholics considering religious life or Holy Orders are directed to the Vocations Office for the Diocese of Charleston.
Faith Formation Across the Lifespan
Saint Peter's organizes its religious education around a garden motif, with each stage named for what is growing. Sprouts (Kindergarten through second grade) and Seedlings (third through sixth grade) work through the Faith and Life series from Ignatius Press, learning prayer, Scripture and the foundational truths of the Catholic faith. Second-graders preparing for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, as well as older children who have not yet received those sacraments, are enrolled in a supplemental Sacramental Preparation class. Saplings (seventh through ninth grade) follow a two-year Confirmation journey rooted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, choosing a canonized saint to study and reflect on as part of their preparation. The Order of Christian Initiation for Children (OCIC) welcomes students ages 7 through 16 who have not yet been baptized.
Youth Ministry gathers on Wednesday evenings during the Religious Education schedule, providing Bible studies, open discussions of Catholic moral teaching, service opportunities and fellowship for students who have received Confirmation and want to remain connected to parish life as they move into adulthood. Adult Faith Formation offers ongoing opportunities for adults to grow in Gospel proclamation, sacramental life and Christian witness, with formation events advertised in the weekly bulletin. There is no registration fee for the Religious Education program, although families are asked to contribute a minimum donation of $10 to help cover classroom supplies.
Parish Life and Ministries for Every Age
Saint Peter's lists more than two dozen active ministries, and Rector Canon Gary S. Linsky has described the parish as the most diverse he has been called to lead. The Blessed Virgin Mary Sodality, the parish's oldest women's club, was established in 1918 and continues to meet the third Tuesday evening of every month for fellowship, speakers, prayer and service. The Legion of Mary, the Rosary Makers, the E-Prayer Ministry, and the Men's Prayer Group (which meets each Wednesday morning at 6:55 AM in Neglia Hall, personally led by Father Linsky) keep the prayer life of the parish active. Centering Prayer meets on the second and fourth Monday evenings.
For older adults, the Seasoned Seniors Society gathers for monthly lunches, fellowship, cultural outings and service, while the Five-O Plus Club, founded in 1988, hosts monthly luncheons September through June for adults fifty and older. The Spanglish Young Adults ministry, for bilingual and Hispanic young adults ages 18 to 35, meets on the last Saturday of each month for faith, fellowship and conversation in English and Spanish. Young Adult Professionals gathers men and women in their twenties and thirties around the values of social friendship, spiritual growth and service.
The Stephen Ministry provides strictly confidential, one-on-one Christ-centered care from trained lay ministers to people facing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness. Parishioner Outreach ministers to the sick, hospitalized and homebound, with volunteers administering the Eucharist, visiting and delivering care packages; homebound visitors are Safe Haven trained and certified. The Bereavement Meal Ministry prepares and serves a meal in Neglia Hall for families after a funeral, with opportunities for working parishioners to drop off food and retired parishioners to set up and clean up. The Hospitality Ministry coordinates parish-wide potlucks on Holy Days of Obligation, soup suppers during Advent and Lent, and other special events. Greeters and Ushers welcome worshippers at all weekend Masses, while Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers proclaim the Word and distribute Communion. The Altar Servers program, trained by Father Linsky, is open to anyone in fifth grade or older who has received First Communion.
The parish also carries the corporal works of mercy outward. The St. Vincent de Paul Society assists those in need in the wider community. The M.O.R.E. Justice ministry addresses issues of peace and social concern, and the Litter Patrol keeps the surrounding downtown blocks clean.
Funerals, the Columbarium, and the Historic Graveyard
Catholic funerals at Saint Peter's center on the Mass of Christian Burial, normally celebrated in the morning and never on Sundays, Solemnities, Holy Days or during the Triduum. The parish will accommodate one funeral Mass per day. Cremation is permitted after the funeral Mass, with cremated remains welcomed at the liturgy; the Church requires that cremated remains be buried or interred in consecrated ground rather than scattered. The Basilica has its own columbarium for the interment of cremated remains. The parish's historic graveyard, on which the cornerstone for the original 1824 church was laid, is documented on a separate page maintained by the parish.
Music is coordinated through the Organist and Choirmaster; honoraria of $250 for the organist, $125 for the cantor and $50 for a custom worship aid are paid directly to the musicians, while the church itself charges no fee for a funeral. The Bereavement Committee can provide a meal in Neglia Hall following the funeral or committal when staffing allows.
Becoming Catholic, Joining the Parish, and Tithing
Visitors and newcomers are welcomed by the rector in a letter that emphasizes the parish's urban, downtown setting and its long tradition of hospitality. Those who attend Mass regularly and consider Saint Peter's their parish are encouraged to register through the parish office. A Catholic Inquiry Series, held on Sunday mornings after the 9 AM Mass, is open to anyone curious about the Catholic faith, regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey. An online member directory, launched in fall 2021, allows registered parishioners and their spouses to share names, photos and contact information with one another.
Parishioners sustain the parish through stewardship of time, talent and treasure. Online giving is available through the parish's giving page, and parishioners can also give through mailed envelopes, distributions, or estate planning. Members are encouraged to evaluate their giving regularly and to grow in generosity as God has blessed them.
A New Generation of Founders: The Capital Campaign
Saint Peter's has begun construction on a new building on Assembly Street as part of its Third Century capital campaign. The campaign, launched in 2020 after the pandemic, has raised more than $6.3 million in pledges to expand the outreach capacity of both the parish and the school. Construction broke ground in a ceremony in January 2024, with the design by Lambert Architecture. The campaign is named A New Generation of Founders, recalling the immigrant families who first built a place of worship on this site in 1821 and the thousands of parishioners who have walked through the doors since.
St. Peter's Catholic School, located on the parish campus and serving as the parish's K through eight school, continues to grow alongside the parish, with its students serving at many of the parish's funerals and liturgies.
Clergy, Staff and the People Who Run the Parish
Saint Peter's is led by The Very Rev'd Canon Gary S. Linsky, V.F., who serves as Rector and personally directs the marriage preparation program, leads the Men's Prayer Group, trains the altar servers and is the principal celebrant and homilist at most liturgies. Father Philippe Dubourdieu serves as Parochial Vicar, and Deacon Brian Durocher serves as Permanent Deacon.
Matt DeGuire is Minister of Music, with Jack Cleghorn serving as Organist and Choirmaster and Randy Moore as accompanist and pianist. Colleen Freeman directs Religious Education and Youth Faith Formation. Colleen Mulero directs Parishioner Engagement and oversees outreach to the sick and homebound. Alejandra Yang coordinates Adult Faith Formation and serves as the parish's bilingual point of contact for OCIA, the Catholic Inquiry Series, and Spanish-speaking parishioners. Behind the scenes, Tom Bellar directs facilities and maintenance, Patty Phillips serves as parish administrative assistant, Lesley Stuart is assistant to the rector and facilities coordinator, Michelle Cloyne Blevins is accounting assistant, Parma Smith assists with facilities maintenance, and Bailey Linsky serves as Minister of Gastronomy for parish meals.
Visiting Saint Peter's
Saint Peter's stands in the heart of downtown Columbia, with regular Sunday Masses in English and Spanish, weekday Masses in English and Latin, Thursday evening Mass in Spanish, a full music program, and a deep bench of ministries for every stage of life. The Basilica is open to visitors for tours arranged through the parish office. Whether one comes for the Sunday liturgy, the music, a wedding, a funeral, a class, or simply to pray, the parish doors open onto a community that has been shaped by its 200-year history and is looking, in the words of its campaign, to a third century of founders.