
The Archdiocese of St. Louis has announced a new way we hope to help our parishes with their ministries. Read the article below from the St. Louis Review to learn more about the establishment of three vicariates in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
St. John the Baptist's former pastor, Father Carl Scheble, has been named vicar general and moderator of the curia.
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We Love the Feel of a Full Church
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In late April 2023, organization leaders from St. John the Baptist, St. Stephen Protomartyr and Immaculate Heart of Mary gathered to discuss our future together. Click below to read a brief article, including testimonials from all three parishes, written as a result of the meeting.
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Two Feet of Love in Action
By: Christine Dragonette
“I was recently talking with a volunteer who had been stuck on the phone for over an hour trying to get through to a Louisiana Department of Health representative. She shared her frustration that the person she was sitting with had no clear route to get the birth certificate he so desperately needed in order to obtain a Missouri state government-issued photo ID. Meanwhile, he had a secure job offer, provided he could present two forms of identification.
Here at St. Francis Xavier College Church, our main social ministry program facilitates access to Missouri State IDs and birth certificates from any state, mostly for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, significant barriers to securing good jobs, safe housing, health care, and more. Getting their official government documents is just one hurdle to overcome. I am fortunate to work with dedicated volunteers, mostly parishioners of College Church, who are called to action each week by the injustices they catch a glimpse of every day. Each time volunteers are stuck on the phone or frustrated by how difficult it is to help a program guest find a safe place to stay that night, they are galvanized into action. Our new parish advocacy committee grew from volunteers who are fired up to find solutions to many of the injustices faced by guests of our direct program.
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Our Church is called to put “two feet of love in action,” as the US Conference of Catholic Bishops term it. We meet direct needs through charitable works and seek systemic change through social justice advocacy. Catholic parishes and organizations in St. Louis offer food pantries, shelter, and rental assistance, while other groups fight to combat hunger, homelessness, and poverty. In my own experience, I find that my or others’ direct experience is often a motivator for seeking large scale, systemic change.
Right now, many of us throughout the Archdiocese feel worried and grief-stricken by a future that seems so uncertain. While it’s true that many of the changes in store will be painful, the Gospel call to put our faith into action by charitable works and social justice remains. How might we acknowledge our pain, while also taking this opportunity of great change to create the Church and wider community that we want to see? Times of turmoil can be an impetus for moving into action if we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.”
All Things New is an initiative that will evaluate the effectiveness of the Church in St. Louis in proclaiming the Gospel and will identify opportunities for improvement and renewal within all parishes, schools and curia offices and agencies. When we become better stewards of God’s gifts, we can improve our social outreach efforts with help from people like Christine.
02/19/2023
From the very beginning of All Things New we have been asking the question "Which communities does it make most sense to have come together in light of demographic shifts, evangelization and social outreach efforts, resources, and priest availability?".
You shared your feedback on what our parishes, ministries, and institutions need to look like to effectively share the faith in a way that is suitable and sustainable for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come.
Using the parish feedback summaries, parish workbooks, and financial data of every parish in the Archdiocese, All Things New planning committee has refined the first draft models to a second set of draft models, which offer one draft model per planning area.
The second draft models for all 15 planning areas are now available for review on allthingsnew.archstl.org.
Because of your feedback of the 42 draft models initially presented to priests, deacons, religious, parish life coordinators, key archdiocesan advisory bodies, and the lay faithful for consideration, none were adopted in the second draft models.
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The models show the Archdiocese being reshaped from 178 individual parish pastorates into 88 pastorates in order to best serve the lay faithful. A pastorate is a community that is under the pastoral care of one pastor and pastoral team.
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This will be the last set of draft models and the final portion of feedback gathered in order to enable Archbishop Rozanski to make a well-informed, discerned decision for the spiritual well-being of the Archdiocese, looking at the feedback of the people and the needs of the Archdiocese. This decision will be announced on May 28, 2023 by Archbishop Rozanski.
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For additional information, please click the image above to be directed to the All Things New website.