37 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com participating in the lighting ceremony. It’s beautiful to see thousands of Jews and non-Jews come together to celebrate this tradition,” he said. Refson’s three brothers are all rabbis as well, and his four children are also all part of this ministry. “As torch bearers, we are bringing light to the world,” he said. While Judaism dates back nearly 5,000 years, Catholicism evolved two millennia ago as the earliest denomination of Christianity. The word “catholic” translates from a Greek word meaning “universal,” as the same beliefs and teachings were adopted by believers across the Mediterranean where the early Jesus movement started to circulate. While other “heretical” strands of Christianity, such as Gnosticism, cropped up around the region in the first few centuries B.C., they eventually died out or were suppressed. But like a rock, Catholicism was always there. In the year 800 B.C., Charlemagne was crowned emperor on Christmas Day. Today, his 37th generational grandson Father Gregory West celebrates his family’s centuries-old Catholic legacy by leading the congregation at Saint Clare of Assisi on Daniel Island. Born and raised in Charleston, West went to Bishop England and grew up attending Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church on Sullivan’s Island, where five generations of his family before him also worshiped. In addition to the pride Father West has for his family’s long history in the faith, he said he is passionate about his work because, “On any given Sunday, Catholics around the world, whether in Bulgaria, China or France, are all using the same words and routines in a custom of dignity and beauty. Humans crave ritual, and that is part of the religious expression, because sameness equates stability. When we celebrate mass, it’s like a time machine spanning all eternity, time and space. As our formal traditions are transcendent, mass is an expression of worship that taps into a field where there is no dimension.” When it comes to commemorating the holidays, Father West said, “We need to focus on this indescribable, unimaginable occurrence in human history that no one could see coming and that changed history forever.” He added, “The sentiment needs to reflect divine love all year round. We can’t just save love for one another between holidays. There is a need for greater humility in the world and we need to take better care of each other.” While Catholicism has a following of 1.2 billion believers, the foundation of its “universal” teachings was divided on Oct. 31, 1517, when Martin Luther nailed a letter bearing 95 condemnations and demands against the church to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. From this revolutionary act, Protestantism evolved and the Presbyterian (derived from the Greek word for “elder”) Church was developed. Built in 1854, the Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church in the Old Village stands as the oldest house of worship of its denomination in the town. As the first female senior pastor and head of staff at the church, Reverend Doctor Pastor Nicole Abdnour said she grew up feeling nurtured in the Presbyterian faith and always knew she wanted to explore a vocational path so that she could engage in meaningful ways with the world. “For over 50 years, women have been ordained in the church, and as such, women long before me have paved the way and made room at the table for female church leaders. As women, we have a unique worldview because we wear a variety of hats. When I step into the pulpit, I carry with me my identity and role as mother, wife, community member and over 20 years of education, which are all meaningful to the broader community.” Pastor Abdnour added, “The unique freshness during the holiday season offers more opportunities to gather in community and for families to celebrate togetherness. We can expand goodwill by further embracing the wholesomeness of the season with the story that I have the opportunity to share about the birth, celebrating the good news that God came to the world in a real and tangible way. That message can be translated year-round into each and every day in the simplest and most common of ways.” St. Claire of Assisi Catholic Church - Father Gregory West. our town
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