Sunday, August 30, 2009

IN LIEU OF CHURCH ATTENDANCE


This could be titled "IN LIEU OF A CHURCH", but fear not as a very real church lives within the covers. We are at 120 Broad Street near the corner of Legare, Charleston, SC. We found a place in front of the church while the service was being conducted. We arrived a bit late so we decided to enjoy the church from the exterior.
Under the wraps is The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

The Cathedral Parish was established by Bishop John England, the first Bishop of Charleston. The actual date of construction varies depending upon the source referenced, but it may be generally considered to have begun in the early part of the nineteenth century. It was and is the Mother Church of the Roman Catholic Diocese
in Charleston. It was named The Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar.

That church burned in 1861. The rebuilding began in 1890 and the church as we know it today was completed in 1907. Unlike the design of churches of many denominations, The Cathedral had no steeple upon completion. Those unfamiliar with the sacraments may think that the shroud which now covers the church represents a holy season. Actually, it is massive netting intended to prevent debris from falling upon passers by during construction of a steeple which is to finally grace The Cathedral.

This type of netting is used on many buildings. It is one of the steps which even builders of secular structures take in order to avoid the civil sacrament of litigation. Peace be with you.

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