St. Louis, Mo., Dec 13, 2023 / 14:39 pm
Pastors at each of the 25 Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of St. Louis eyed for closure earlier this year have recommended that their schools remain open, the archdiocese announced Tuesday afternoon.
This news comes after the archdiocese announced in September that “some Catholic parish elementary schools may be recommended by the parishes to close” amid a yearslong major pastoral planning initiative in the archdiocese, “All Things New,” that has seen roughly 25% of the archdiocese’s parishes close or merge.
Some Catholics have expressed concern and frustration ever since Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski announced his final restructuring plans in May, objecting to the shakeup of parishes amid the many closures and priest reassignments.
The pastors overseeing roughly one-third of all the Catholic parish elementary schools in the archdiocese had consultative meetings throughout October with representatives from the Office of Catholic Education and Formation and their Episcopal Vicar. The meetings were focused on “the long-term sustainability of their parish elementary schools,” the archdiocese previously announced.