The 蜜芽传媒 Archdiocese says it must close churches in the area in order to meet the needs of a changing congregation of Roman Catholics.
SHREWSBURY 鈥 Catholics across the region can now take a detailed look at their church finances, Mass attendance and school enrollment as the Archdiocese of 蜜芽传媒 moves to restructure its parishes.
The archdiocese ahead of hundreds of listening sessions in October and November.
蜜芽传媒 Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski delivers a homily in August 2020 at the Cathedral Basilica.聽
At the meetings, parishioners will be shown two to four different models reflecting potential church closures or consolidations. The proposed plan for school closures is expected to be released early in 2023.
蜜芽传媒 Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski said Thursday that he does not have a set number of parish closures in mind, and that he wants to hear as much feedback as possible from church leaders and members.
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鈥淚 want to have a Catholic presence in every part of our archdiocese,鈥 he said in an interview.
The 鈥淎ll Things New鈥 initiative launched earlier this year aims to adjust parish boundaries as the Catholic population continues to decline across 10 Missouri counties, falling below 500,000 in 2021 for the first time in a half century. Only 25% of pews were filled during weekend Mass across the region last year, according to the data released Thursday.
For generations, the flock has been moving west from the city of 蜜芽传媒 toward St. Charles County. If the archdiocese does not reduce its parishes, they will outnumber priests by 2026.
St. Joseph in Cottleville is now the largest church in the archdiocese, with 18,000 congregants served by three full-time priests. The church serves three times the number of registered Catholics in all of north 蜜芽传媒.
Last month, 220 priests gathered to view the 42 options for reconfiguring parishes across 15 planning areas. A handful of leaders from each parish will also see the models and give feedback before they are released to the flock at the parish meetings.
Each parish can include anywhere from one to multiple churches within its geographic footprint. After restructuring, the average number of families in each parish is expected to grow from 800 to 1,800.
The decision to close or consolidate a parish will likely be based on the numbers of sacraments 鈥 including the ratio of baptisms to funerals 鈥 as well as the strength of outreach efforts to previous and new members, Rozanski told the Post-Dispatch.
鈥淭he church exists to evangelize,鈥 he said.
The final restructuring plan will be announced May 28, on Pentecost, and is expected to take up to three years to implement.
Asked what role existing finances for each parish will play in his ultimate plan, Rozanski said: 鈥淥ur presence in bringing Christ to others is the bottom line over money.鈥
