Rev. Theodore Cilwick

The Rev. Theodore Cilwick, 94, a long-time Catholic priest in a number of South Carolina parishes, died Sunday, January 24, 2010. Father Cilwick came to South Carolina from his native New York in the 1940s, drawn by a desire to be a missionary priest. He told "The Catholic Miscellany" in a 2003 article that when he arrived, there were fewer Catholics in all of South Carolina than there had been in his Bronx parish. Father Cilwick was born in the Bronx, New York, on Sept. 13, 1915, the oldest of three sons of Benjamin and Emilia Cilwick, who were immigrants from Poland. His parents eventually moved to Albany, New York. He was raised in New York City, and was ordained to the priesthood on May 2, 1943. After several years as an Oratorian, a congregation of priests, he became a priest for the Diocese of Charleston, which was mission country for Catholics in the late 1940s. His first assignments were as pastor of St. William in Ward for six years and at St. Patrick in Charleston for five years. In the 2003 article, he remembered his 13 years at Church of the Nativity on James Island, beginning in 1959, fondly. He said the parish was his favorite because it demanded the most "energy and ingenuity." Before the rectory was built, he lived in one room for five years. Father Cilwick also served as pastor at Our Lady of the Rosary in Greenville until 1978, at St. Mary in Georgetown and St. Thomas the Apostle in North Charleston. He reluctantly retired in the early 1990s after serving 10 years as pastor at St. Marys' on Yonge's Island and Saints Edward and Stephen Mission on Edisto Island. In recent years, he lived at the Carter May Assisted Living Center, where he continued to say mass daily and enjoyed good health. Besides devoting his life to his parishes, he learned to pilot small aircraft and enjoyed bird hunting with his younger brother, Philip Cilwick, when he would visit. Father Cilwick was preceded in death by his parents and brothers: Rev. Francis Cilwick, also a priest, died in 1985. His youngest brother, Philip P. Cilwick, died last month in Albany, New York. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Rosalie Cilwick, of Albany, New York; three nephews and two nieces. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM Friday, January 29, 2010, at the Church of the Nativity. The Rite of Committal will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. A Vigil Service will begin at 6:00 PM Thursday at the Church, 1061 Folly Rd. and the family will receive friends until 8:00 PM. Flowers will be accepted or memorial donations may be made to: Missionaries of Charity, 335 East 145th Street ,Bronx, NY 10451-5800 His guest book may be signed at www.charlestonfunerals.com Arrangements by JAMES A. MCALISTER, INC. 1620 SAVANNAH HWY.766-1365.