Meet Salva Dut: The True Story Behind A Long Walk to Water

by popadmin | Sep 17, 2026 | Parish Life | 0 comments

From A Long Walk to Water to Living Water: Salva Dut Comes to Prince of Peace

Three years ago, our Middle School students met Salva Dut in the pages of a book. This October, they will welcome him to Prince of Peace.

Prince of Peace Catholic Church & School is honored to welcome Salva Dut, founder of Water for South Sudan and the man whose remarkable life inspired Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water, to the Upstate on Thursday, 15 October. It will be Salva’s first visit to South Carolina, and we are delighted to open his evening presentation to our wider community.

His visit is the culmination of a story that began in a middle school classroom.

When teacher Rebekah deMarrais introduced A Long Walk to Water to her middle school students three years ago, Salva’s story gave them a window into a life very different from their own. As a child, Salva was separated from his family by civil war in Sudan and became one of the thousands of displaced children known as the Lost Boys of Sudan. After eventually coming to the United States, he returned to serve the people of his homeland, founding Water for South Sudan to help provide communities with access to clean, safe water.

Our middle school students were moved by what they read—but they did not stop there.

Through Water for South Sudan’s Iron Giraffe Challenge, they found a tangible way to respond. Year after year, students organized their own fundraising efforts: posters and tag days, Penny Wars, slushies and blue-frosted cupcakes. Small acts of generosity accumulated into something much greater, and this past year, our students doubled the amount they had previously raised.

For us, that is perhaps the most beautiful part of this story. Giving drink to the thirsty is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy, and our students discovered that mercy is not simply something to study. It asks something of us. A novel introduced them to people half a world away; compassion invited them to care; and their faith called them to act.

Their efforts ultimately earned Prince of Peace the Grand Prize in the Iron Giraffe Challenge: a visit from Salva Dut himself.

It is an extraordinary full-circle moment for our students, but we believe it is an opportunity meant to be shared.

We warmly invite students and teachers, families and homeschoolers, readers of A Long Walk to Water, and friends and neighbors throughout the Upstate to join us at Prince of Peace. Whether you already know Salva’s story or will encounter it for the first time, we hope you will come hear from a man whose life bears witness to perseverance, hope and the remarkable good that can begin when one person chooses to serve another.

Meet Salva Dut: The True Story Behind A Long Walk to Water

Thursday, 15 October 2026
5:30p — Book Signing
6:00p — Presentation and Q&A

Prince of Peace Catholic Church & School
Parish Activity Center
1209 Brushy Creek Road, Taylors, SC 29687

The event is free and open to the community.

Large school groups are encouraged to reserve space in advance by contacting Rebekah DeMarrais at rebekah.demarrais@popcatholicschool.org.

Our students began by reading the story of someone who changed lives by bringing water to those who thirst. In answering that story with works of mercy of their own, they became part of it. Now we have the privilege of welcoming Salva Dut to Prince of Peace—and welcoming the Upstate to experience his story with us.

Job Opening: Pastoral Associate for Sacramental Life

by popadmin | Sep 7, 2026 | Parish Life | 0 comments

Brief Description of Job

The Pastoral Associate for Sacramental Life manages Baptisms, Marriages/Weddings/Convalidations, and Funerals and coordinates throughout each of these processes with secretarial support in the front office.

The Pastoral Associate for Sacramental Life is an integral part of the Christian Formation and Evangelism team. The ideal candidate is comfortable in a diverse and vibrant parish family and thrives in active pastoral ministry, supporting parishioners as they grow deeper in the Sacramental Life of the Church. Our Pastoral Associate will also ensure we better reach and cultivate, through a ministry of presence and critical communication support, our growing parish population of many young families with multiple children.

Baptisms

• Coordinates Baptisms at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, including all paperwork and scheduling with deacons and/or priests.
• Coordinates with the parish secretary for date availability on the church calendar and the pastor’s availability on his personal calendar. Communicates directly with priests and deacons, as they maintain their own calendars.
• Maintains ongoing communication with families via phone and email to finalize a date that works for the family, godparents (some from out of town), and the officiant.
• Communicates and coordinates with visiting priests coming to our parish to confer Baptism; ascertains that a Letter of Good Standing and Celebret are provided to our Diocese and pastor by the visiting priest.
• Collaborates with Deacon Gus Suarez regarding his scheduled Baptism class.
• Issues Letters of Delegation on behalf of Fr Smith when a POP parishioner wishes to baptize a child in another parish or diocese.

Marriages/Weddings

• Coordinates weddings with appropriate staff members, including music, wedding coordinators, scheduling, parish priests/deacons, visiting priests or deacons, etc.
• Works with couples on marriage paperwork, making sure all documents are submitted within the appropriate timetable and following all procedures the parish has outlined for weddings.
• Obtains all necessary original documents and communicates with NFP instructors, the FOCCUS provider, and Marriage Preparation class (Deacon M. Cavin) to ascertain that these classes were taken and obtain certificates of completion for the file.
• Ascertains that the couple applies in a timely fashion for a local Marriage License to bring to the rehearsal.
• Coordinates with Deacon Cavin regarding the dates of Marriage Preparation classes.
• Coordinates the liturgical calendar, church calendar, priests’ own calendars, and couples’ dates to finalize a wedding date that works for all involved, taking national holidays into account.
• Requests a Letter of Good Standing from a priest or deacon who is visiting to carry out a wedding ceremony or Mass at POP.
• Communicates as needed with the Diocese of Charleston and/or the Chancery from which the priest is traveling to ascertain that all documentation and permissions are in place.
• Issues a Letter of Delegation to a visiting priest or deacon on behalf of Fr Smith.
• Approximately fifty percent of cases require the original file to be mailed via USPS to the Office of Marital Concerns at the Diocese of Charleston. Copies of all documents are made as backup. A cover letter to the head of the department is drafted and included with the file, delineating the specifics of the case to ensure that a dispensation favoring the couple is granted.
• Communicates by email or telephone with the Office of Marital Concerns to determine the status of marriage files.
• Communicates by telephone and in writing with diocesan and parish personnel in other countries where a POP parishioner is celebrating his or her wedding, i.e., Brazil, Colombia, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, et al.
• Inputs all pertinent information in the Excel wedding spreadsheet as information comes in for other staff members to access as needed.

Convalidations and Marriage Cases

• Works with couples who need convalidations. Initially establishes with the couple that no other pertinent issues or irregular situations exist in their marital backgrounds that may require them first to proceed with a decree of nullity by way of the Diocesan Tribunal.
• Has the couple gather all necessary original documents to initiate their file. The first meeting entails sitting with the couple in person to complete the diocesan Prenuptial Information/Questionnaire.
• Serves as liaison with a parish member who has expertise in marriage cases of Nullity and Lack of Form to assist POP parishioners dealing with those marital circumstances.
• Ascertains that those seeking assistance are registered POP parishioners prior to initiating the Nullity process.
• Confers with the Director of the “Introduction to Catholicism” program (OCIA) on specific circumstances of persons and couples needing to rectify their previous marital situation (irregularities) in the Catholic Church.

Funerals

• Manages all aspects of funerals.

Additional Responsibilities

• The Pastoral Associate is present when visiting clergy other than those of POP are officiating a sacrament or ceremony, including Baptisms, weddings, convalidations, and funerals.
• Assists POP staff members in deciphering sacramental documents/paperwork received from other countries.
• Attends weekly staff meetings, Wednesdays at 10:30a.
• Collaborates with the Pastoral Associate for Adult Faith Formation as he prepares and prints sufficient booklets and related paperwork and information on POP Baptisms, weddings, and funerals.

Minimum Qualifications

1. BA or higher in Theology or related field; experience in teaching and Christian Formation.
2. Must have a working knowledge of and a strong commitment to the mission of the Diocese of Charleston and Prince of Peace Catholic Church, and be in full communion with the Church.
3. Knowledge of the use of the tools and equipment for the job (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, copier, laminator).

Reports to: Pastor

Classification: Exempt, Full-Time (includes evening and weekend hours)

Salary Range: $50,000-60,000, plus benefits, commensurate with education and experience.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit the following materials to Mr Phil Head, Director of Administration, by email at directorofadministration@princeofpeacetaylors.org:

• A cover letter introducing yourself and describing your interest in the Pastoral Associate for Sacramental Life position, including relevant experience in parish ministry, sacramental preparation, Christian Formation, or related work.
• A current résumé or curriculum vitae.
• Contact information for three professional references.

Please include “Pastoral Associate for Sacramental Life” in the subject line.