Monsignor James A. Carter papers

Monsignor James A. Carter, a Roman Catholic priest, was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 1, 1939, to James Aloysius Carter and Kathryne Magruder. Carter attended Cathedral School and Bishop England High School in Charleston. He received a bachelor’s degree from Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He entered the seminary at St. Mary’s College in Kentucky, and completed his studies at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland. In Charleston, Bishop Ernest Unterkoefler ordained Carter to the priesthood for the Diocese of Charleston on May 7, 1966. From 1966-1973, Monsignor Carter served as an associate pastor at St. Mary’s Church in Greenville, St. John’s Church in North Charleston, and St. Peter’s Church in Columbia. In 1973, Carter was appointed pastor of Holy Spirit on Johns Island along with Our Lady of Good Counsel on Folly Beach. In 1974, he served as pastor of St. Paul in Spartanburg, and in 1980 was assigned to St. Mary Help of Christians in Aiken. In 1989, Carter was appointed pastor of Christ Our King in Mt. Pleasant, where he remained until his retirement in 2016. Monsignor Carter also served as vicar general of the Diocese of Charleston, vicar for clergy, chairman of the Priests’ Personnel Board, chairman of the Diocesan Building and Renovation Commission, chairman of the Ecumenical Affairs Committee, moderator of the Curia, moderator of the Council of Catholic Women in the Charleston Deanery, facilitator of the Presbyteral Council, rector of Cardinal Newman High School in Columbia, chaplain of the Ursuline Convent in Columbia, dean of the Aiken Deanery, dean of the Coastal Deanery, director of the Sites and Boundaries Committee, member of the Priests’ Senate, member of the Diocesan Board of Consultors, member of the Christian Action Council, member of the Theological Commission, member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, member of the Synod Executive Committee, and member of the Diocesan Finance Council. Following Hurricane Hugo in 1989, Monsignor Carter established and funded the East Cooper Community Outreach Center (ECCO) to minister to hurricane victims. The emergency relief effort has since grown into a permanent resource for the community in need and serves households in financial distress. In 1991, Monsignor Carter was named a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II and in 1998 he was appointed to the rank of Protonotary Apostolic. He was also selected as a member of the Heritage Registry of Who’s Who in 2006-2007. In 2016, Monsignor Carter was the recipient of The Order of the Palmetto. In honor of his golden jubilee, the Town of Mount Pleasant presented him with the Order of the Gavel and the City of Charleston declared April 29, 2016, as Monsignor James A. Carter Day.

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