A Parish on the East Side of the Cooper
Christ Our King Catholic Church sits at 1149 Russell Drive in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, where a 1979 sanctuary of stained glass and a 35-rank Holtkamp organ anchors a parish of roughly 2,000 families. The community grew out of a 1922 mission of Stella Maris Parish on Sullivan's Island, became its own parish in 1973, and today serves the east side of the Cooper River under the Diocese of Charleston and Bishop Jacques E. Fabre, C.S.
What sets the parish apart is a long-standing commitment to sacrificial giving. Since 1993, Christ Our King has donated more than $4 million from its weekly collections to local charities, and the parish encourages every household to tithe 10 percent of income - five percent to the parish, four percent to other worthy charities, and one percent to the Bishop's Annual Appeal. Each Sunday, 10 percent of the offertory is awarded to a rotating list of organizations serving the Lowcountry.
Mass Schedule, Confession, and Adoration
The Sunday obligation is fulfilled three ways: Saturday vigil at 5:00 pm, Sunday at 7:30 am, 9:30 am, and Noon. Daily Mass is celebrated at 7:00 am Monday through Friday, with an additional Noon Mass on Wednesdays and an 8:00 am Mass on Saturday mornings. Holy Days of Obligation are offered at 7:00 am, Noon, and 6:00 pm.
The Sacrament of Penance is heard in the church on Saturdays from 8:30 am to 9:30 am and again from 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm, and by appointment through the parish office. On the First Friday of each month, Solemn Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament follows the 7:00 am Mass and continues through the day, closing with Benediction and Reposition at 6:00 pm.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion bring the Eucharist from the 9:30 am and Noon Sunday Masses to the homebound, and from the Wednesday Noon Mass to those who cannot attend because of age or infirmity. A deacon also presides weekly at Mt. Pleasant Manor, Sandpiper Nursing and Rehab, Savannah Grace, and Sandpiper Courtyard with Liturgy of the Word and distribution of Holy Communion. Christ Our King priests celebrate Mass on a rotating schedule at independent living, rehab, and nursing facilities within the parish boundaries.
The Seven Sacraments
Christ Our King prepares parishioners for each of the seven sacraments instituted by Christ: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.
Infants and small children of registered, active parishioners are baptized on Sundays following the Noon Mass, with parents and godparents attending a preparation class offered on the second Wednesday of each month. Children seven and older prepare through the OCIA process and are typically baptized at the Easter Vigil. Confirmation is normally received in eighth grade after a two-year preparation that includes a Saint Project, sponsor interview, faith journey interviews, and a Saturday retreat. First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are generally received in second grade, either through Christ Our King-Stella Maris School or Christian Formation classes.
Couples preparing for marriage meet with a priest or deacon for formation, agree to the parish's wedding policies, and sign Form D - Wedding Agreement. A 590-seat sanctuary with a Holtkamp organ and a 35-rank pipe organ (1997) hosts both liturgies. Wedding music is coordinated by Director of Liturgy and Music Scott Atwood, who selects a psalmist or cantor from the parish roster and may contract additional instrumentalists; recorded music is not permitted.
The Anointing of the Sick is offered to those facing serious illness, surgery, or the weakness of old age, and may be repeated. Viaticum, the final reception of Holy Communion for the dying, is brought by a priest, deacon, or duly appointed minister.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is the parish's process for those seeking full communion with the Catholic Church. The journey is tailored: unbaptized inquirers move through inquiry, catechumenate, election, and initiation, often culminating at the Easter Vigil; already-baptized Christians who were not raised Catholic may be received into full communion after shorter formation. Children over the age of seven can also be initiated through an adapted OCIA process. Deacon Brian Justice coordinates the parish OCIA.
Christ Our King-Stella Maris School and Bishop England High School
The parish school is Christ Our King-Stella Maris (COK-SM), founded in 1950 by Msgr. John Lawrence McLaughlin as Stella Maris School with 54 students and the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy teaching. A cornerstone was laid on Russell Drive in 1953, and in 1973 the school was renamed to include the newly formed Christ Our King parish. COK-SM has been named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009 and 2023, and now serves four East-of-the-Cooper parishes with about 600 students in K4 through eighth grade.
Bishop England High School, the diocesan high school, traces back to a 1915 secondary school organized by Rev. Joseph L. O'Brien with 67 Catholic students, and relocated to its present Daniel Island campus in 1998. Bishop England has about 730 students, and twenty of its graduates have pursued vocations as priests or vowed religious.
Christ Our King Preschool
The parish operates a preschool for two- and three-year-olds on the parish campus. The two-year-old class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 am to 11:45 am; the three-year-old class meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on the same schedule. Children must be age-appropriate by September 1 and meet South Carolina immunization requirements, and three-year-olds must be toilet-trained. Priority is given first to current students, then to siblings of COK-SM pupils, then to children of parish teachers, then to active members of Christ Our King, Stella Maris, St. Clare of Assisi, or St. Benedict's, and finally to the general public. Preschool Director Mary Ann Free oversees registration, which opens in the fall for the following academic year.
A Campus Centered on the Beach House
The 1979 sanctuary was renovated in 2025. The renovation was designed by GBA Architecture of Charleston with Terry Eason of TBE Design as consultant; the original church was designed by Simons, Mitchell, Small and Donahue. Emil Frei Studios of St. Louis created the stained glass, which is described in a free parish e-book called Visions of Eternity.
Around the church sit the parish's signature gathering spaces. The Parish Life Center opened in 2003 and includes Grace Hall, a 3,000-square-foot reception hall seating 200 with a 500-square-foot commercial kitchen, plus three meeting rooms. A 7,300-square-foot gymnasium with a 1,800-square-foot stage is shared with Christ Our King-Stella Maris School; the gym seats 700 and accommodates up to 1,000 standing.
The Beach House opened in 2013 and is the parish's most distinctive space, envisioned by Msgr. James Carter after time spent at his grandparents' summer house on Sullivan's Island. The Beach House has a porch with rockers, a library, a piano, billiards, ping pong, air hockey, a family-style kitchen, a café space, an outdoor fireplace, a fire pit, vegetable gardens, and offices. The Camellia House and the Russell House provide smaller meeting rooms for prayer groups, support groups, and small group gatherings.
Sacred Music
Music at Christ Our King is coordinated by Scott Atwood and draws on a deep bench of volunteer musicians. The Parish Choir sings for the 9:30 am Sunday Mass from Labor Day through Memorial Day and rehearses on Wednesday evenings. Children's Choir members, ages 8 to 16, sing for the Saturday Evening Mass the first weekend of each month from October through June, as well as for Christmas, Easter, Confirmation, First Holy Communion, and other special liturgies. The King's Ringers perform on four octaves of Malmark bells and chimes for special liturgies, concerts, and occasional weekend Masses, under coordinator Donna Teague.
Two scholas serve the teen musicians of the parish: St. Cecilia Schola for teenage girls and St. Gregory Schola for teenage boys, each singing at the Noon Mass every other week. Cantors sing the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel verse, and solo verses of the Communion Antiphon and help lead congregational singing when needed. Classical string, brass, and woodwind players regularly join the organ for major liturgies.
Christian Formation and Youth Ministry
Christian formation for children runs K-3 through Grade 8 and meets on Sundays from 10:30 am to 11:45 am at Christ Our King-Stella Maris School, immediately following the 9:30 am Mass. Paula Damask, Director of Religious Education, oversees the program, and Deacon Jonathon Santilli serves as catechist and coordinator for the eighth-grade Confirmation year. A separate track is offered for children with special needs.
Middle and high school teens are served through MS Edge and HS Life Teen, with details at cokyouth.org. Both programs are open to all sixth through twelfth graders in the parish.
Adult Faith: Bible Study, Cursillo, Centering Prayer
Adult formation gathers in several shapes across the week. Centering Prayer meets Monday through Saturday at 9 am for twenty minutes of shared silence, following a video from Contemplative Outreach. Berrien Zettler leads a weekly exploration of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans via Zoom on Tuesdays from 7 to 8 pm. The Cursillo movement holds its monthly Ultreya on the first Tuesday of the month for spiritual growth and fellowship. The Patriarch Men's Group reflects weekly on the Gospel reading of the day, and Wednesday Wisdom, an ecumenical forum for Christian business people, gathers Wednesdays from 7:30 to 8:30 am at the Beach House.
The Divine Mercy Cenacle gathers on the first and third Saturdays after the 8 am Mass to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and study the message of Divine Mercy. Weekly Eucharistic Exposition takes place in the chapel at 6 pm, followed by Adoration and 6:30 pm Benediction and Reposition.
Men's Hike: Band of Brothers in the Pisgah
Each spring, men from Christ Our King travel to the mountains of Western North Carolina for a four-day Men's Hike in the Pisgah National Forest. The trail and the campfire become places to share faith and counsel. Three organizational meetings are held on the Beach House Patio in May and early June, with the 2027 hike set for Thursday, June 10 through Sunday, June 13. Reunions, family cookouts, and day hikes extend the experience through the rest of the year.
Seniors at the Beach House
Senior life at Christ Our King centers on the Beach House, which is open Mondays and Fridays from 10 am to 2 pm. Bridge players gather on Mondays from 1 to 4 pm; the Nifty Needlers quilt hats for the needy and prayer blankets for the sick from 10 am to noon; and Rosary Makers assemble rosaries for school children, prisoners, and anyone who asks for one from 10 to 11:30 am. Bingo is played on the third Friday of each month at 10 am. Annual events include the Parish Picnic in April, the Ice Cream Social in August, the Christ the King Parish Feast in November, and seasonal gatherings for Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, and a Christmas Tea.
Outreach and the Works of Mercy
Christ Our King lives out the corporal works of mercy through several long-running ministries. The Meal Train Ministry delivers meals to parishioners who are new parents, recovering from surgery, or grieving. The Lazarus Ministry hosts a luncheon reception for the family of the deceased after a funeral Mass. The parish partners with East Cooper Community Outreach in Basic Needs, Health Services, and Empowerment, and supports I-Beam, an East Cooper Faith Network literacy and mentorship program in which volunteers read with elementary students during school lunch. Fix-it! sends volunteers into the community to make critical home repairs for neighbors in need.
The Respect Life Committee coordinates the local 40 Days for Life Campaign, the West Ashley Life Chain, and a Rosary with the Bishop. Walking with Moms in Need connects pregnant women and families with local support services. The St. Vincent de Paul Society offers financial and spiritual aid to neighbors in Mt. Pleasant and accepts furniture donation pickup requests. The parish's Prison Ministry has visited state correctional facilities, bringing the Eucharist to incarcerated Catholics, though it is currently suspended by the state's prison system.
Parishioner Status and Sacrificial Giving
Active membership at Christ Our King is taken seriously. To be considered an active parishioner, a household must be registered, attend Mass at Christ Our King at least 75 percent of Sundays each year, use the envelope system every weekend to mark attendance, and contribute a minimum of $10 per week. Status is reviewed annually in January and determines eligibility for parishioner tuition rates at Christ Our King-Stella Maris and Bishop England, the ability to serve as a sacramental sponsor, and access to parishioner rates for baptisms, weddings, and funerals. The Sacrificial Giving Committee reviews charity suggestions from parishioners and recommends recipients to the pastor; suggested organizations must not violate Catholic teaching.
Clergy and Staff
The parish is served by Pastor Rev. Robert Spencer, Parochial Vicar Rev. Libin Augustine, and four deacons: Bob Boackle (retired), Kevin Campbell, Brian Justice, and Jonathon Santilli. Marie Donnelly directs Pastoral Care and Senior Ministry. Paula Damask directs Religious Education and Christian Formation. Scott Atwood directs Liturgy and Music. Mary Ann Free directs the Preschool. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Charleston, where Bishop Jacques E. Fabre, C.S., a member of the Missionaries of St. Charles (Scalabrinians), shepherds an estimated half million Catholics across 93 parishes, 20 missions, and 33 diocesan schools in South Carolina.