Thirteen years of service as the shepherd to the Diocese of Charleston can hardly go unnoticed. Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone faithfully shepherded his flock and left a priceless impact on the history of Catholicism in South Carolina.

One of the bishop’s most enduring accomplishments was his legacy of Catholic education. His mission — to center Catholic education on truth, beauty and goodness and to create warriors for Christ — led to the education and catechization of over 44,850 students across the state.

Bishop Guglielmone’s commitment to education also provided for over 800 jobs for Catholic teachers and a diocesan-wide accreditation for all Catholic schools.

Under his leadership, the diocese saw the opening of three new Catholic schools — Holy Trinity, John Paul II and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton — and made major capital improvements to the schools of St. Anne, Our Lady of the Rosary, Cardinal Newman and St. Anthony of Padua, expanding the reach of Catholic education.

Most notably, because the bishop believes in equal access to education for all students, he promoted the inclusion of special needs children in Catholic schools across South Carolina. Through the foundation of Exceptional SC in 2016, a tax-credit scholarship for special needs students, the diocese serves over 740 special needs students today.

With great joy and gratitude, the Diocese of Charleston founded the Bishop Guglielmone Catholic School Endowment for all he has done for the state and the championing of Catholic schools. The purpose of the endowment is to provide affordable access to a Catholic education by awarding annual tuition assistance to families. Currently, the endowment has collected over $32,000 for education in the Palmetto State.