ST. LOUIS — The Archdiocese of St. Louis added another parish slated for a merger to a list of those that are having their mergers suspended after appealing to the Vatican.
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in St. Louis received a decree on Friday suspending its merger with St. Joan of Arc and St. Mary Magdalen parishes as part of the All Things New restructuring plan.
The All Things New plan went into effect Tuesday, Aug. 1. It consolidates 178 parishes into 134. The plan includes merging 35 parishes into neighboring parishes and merging 15 parishes to create five new parishes. It will also reassign 158 priests.
Those mergers were suspended last week for seven other parishes that are appealing their closures to the Vatican after St. Louis Archbishop Michael Rozanski declined to reverse his decrees.
"Out of respect for each parishioner’s right to this recourse and in keeping with Archbishop Rozanski’s desire to maintain access to the sacraments, we will be suspending the effects of the following All Things New decrees until this process has been exhausted," the Archdiocese said in a statement.
The effects of decrees have been suspended for these parishes:
- Our Lady of Sorrows (St. Louis);
- St. Angela Merici (Florissant);
- St. Catherine of Alexandria (Coffman);
- St. Francis of Assisi (Luebbering);
- St. Martin of Tours (Lemay);
- St. Matthew the Apostle (St. Louis);
- St. Richard (Creve Coeur);
- St. Roch (St. Louis).
Priest reassignments will continue as planned.
"Because of this suspension, however, incoming pastors for parishes that have announced their intention to seek hierarchical recourse will be directed to do nothing which would prejudice the rights of the parish goods," the Archdiocese said . "In the meantime, the Archdiocese of St. Louis will be making provision for the pastoral care of each parish that is impacted. "
The decrees will be suspended for the listed parishes until the Dicastery for the Clergy makes a decision, which the Archdiocese said will likely take months.
According to the Archdiocese, this is what suspending effects means on a practical level for the parishes:
- Financial accounts should not be closed or merged;
- Finance councils should not be dissolved or merged;
- Current or interim Mass schedules will not be affected;
- Parish councils can work together; and
- Upcoming school decisions will not be affected.
Jason Bolte, found Save Rome of the West, said last week that there are six other parishes that he believes should have had their decrees suspended.
None of those parishes included Our Lady of Sorrows.