SHREWSBURY — Catholic church leaders have been told to prepare for “a variety of emotional responses” to the parish reorganization plan coming later this month from the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Priests were given suggested prayers for Mass on Pentecost Sunday, May 28, when Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski will announce the “All Things New” plan, according to a memo sent Monday to priests, deacons and liturgical coordinators.
One of the prayers is “for the grace to follow where the Spirit leads us, and not be afraid of what is new.” All Mass attendees will be given a “Forward in Hope” prayer card on May 28, reads the memo from the Rev. Nicholas Smith, director of the Office of Sacred Worship at the archdiocese.
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Rozanski will meet with the priests May 22 to go over the plans for announcing any parish changes or priest reassignments.
In June, the archdiocese will provide the parish leaders with resources including “praying through disbelief, anxiety and hurt” and “rituals leading up to the closing of parishes,” according to the memo.
The most recent draft models for “All Things New” released last month show 41 “standalone” parishes that would not share a pastor, and another 137 that would join groups of two or more to share a pastor. Decisions on parish schools are expected later this year.
Rozanski is spending this month deciding on the final configuration of parishes based in part on their viability for the next 10 to 15 years, according to archdiocesan leaders.
The 18-month restructuring process was launched in 2022 to address declining numbers of Catholics attending Mass and priests to serve them.
The initiative, which is being closely watched by the more than 400,000 Catholics in the archdiocese, is expected to drastically alter the blueprint of the church in response to declining numbers of worshipers and priests.
The archdiocese comprises the city of St. Louis and 10 counties in Missouri: Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perry, St. Charles, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis, Warren and Washington.
The St. Louis Archdiocese says it must close churches in the area in order to meet the needs of a changing congregation of Roman Catholics.
