Two cultures under one (new) roof

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church begins a new, more visible, era of ministry and mission Sunday with the consecration and dedication of a new sanctuary.

The congregation — which includes a vibrant Spanish ministry — will join with the Rt. Rev. Dorsey L. Henderson Jr. as he consecrates the new building and prepares the congregation of 1,000 parishioners for expanded mission opportunities.

“For over 30 years, St. Mary’s had the problem of not looking like a church, not being on the street,” said the Rev. Blaney Pridgen III, St. Mary’s rector. Now, he said, the new building rises at the corner of St. Andrews and Tram roads like a beacon of Christian hope.

To prepare for its new home, the suburban congregation, which draws predominantly from the Irmo, St. Andrews and West Columbia area, purchased three contiguous lots. Then the church removed and relocated a home that sat on the corner and partially obstructed the view of the old church. That building has been renovated for a choir room and a large multipurpose space.

A huge concrete slab was poured for the new sanctuary, and 38 concrete panels were raised around the slab in June 2007 using “tilt-up” construction to form the expansive cruciform space. “In three days they had pulled up all 38,” Pridgen said.

On its Web site, which documented the building of the church, the Web master noted: “If you left town that week, there was only a lot of flat concrete spread out on the site. Upon return, there was a building! Incomplete, but definitely defining the space!”

St. Mary’s is distinguished by its outreach, particularly in expanding its programs in recent years to the Hispanic community.

In 2005, the congregation began a once-a-month Spanish service, which is now held weekly on Sundays at 12:30 p.m., following the two traditional English services. The church has a Spanish-language priest, the Rev. Alfredo “Fred” Gonzalez, and a Spanish-language deacon, Ann Pilat, who reach out to about 165 families on St. Mary’s Hispanic mailing list.

It was Gonzalez who broached the idea of the Hispanic ministry, to which Pridgen replied, “I’ll do it if you become a priest.” Gonzalez did and was ordained this year.

Now the congregation celebrates Los Posadas, the commemoration of Mary and Joseph’s Christmas journey, and rejoices at the presentation of 3-year-olds and the rite of passage for 15-year-old girls called the Quinceanera.

“They feel at home at our church,” said Gonzalez, who also assists Hispanic members in navigating everyday life. “That makes them feel they have a place to worship.”

Pridgen said there were moments when he “walked on eggshells” wondering if the blending of two cultures under one roof would work. But, over time, he said, the congregation came to believe that this was one mission it was called to do.

There is cross-fertilization between Anglo and Spanish congregants, but he said, “What we discovered was that there was a homesickness for that Spanish service. Our Spanish congregation is very proud to have a free-standing Mass.”

To quell inevitable questions from the community concerning the political debate over immigration, Pridgen said the church developed a mantra: “We don’t know if they are illegal immigrants; we just know they are Christians.”

Gonzalez concurred. “It is not our concern if they are illegal or legal. They need a place to worship. They need God.”

Now, Pridgen said, the church is known by two names: St. Mary’s and Santa Maria.

Reach Click at (803) 771-8386.