The Vatican has responded to five more parishes that appealed their suppression or merger as part of All Things New.
The Dicastery for the Clergy did not find just cause for St. Angela Merici Parish in Florissant to be combined to form a single new parish with St. Norbert and Holy Name of Jesus parishes, overturning the decree that Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski issued on Pentecost in 2023. The Dicastery for the Clergy is a Vatican office that assists the pope with issues relating to priests and deacons of the diocesan clergy.
St. Angela Merici, St. Norbert and Holy Name of Jesus parishes will remain separate, and Father Peter Faimega will serve as pastor of all three parishes.
The dicastery also did not find just cause for St. Martin of Tours Parish in Lemay to be subsumed by St. Mark Parish, also located in Lemay, overturning Archbishop Rozanski’s decree. The two separate parishes will remain under the pastoral guidance of Father Robert Burkemper, who also serves as pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Lemay, where an appeal is pending.
The dicastery rejected an appeal from St. Roch Parish in St. Louis, upholding Archbishop Rozanski’s decree in which St. Roch was subsumed by Christ the King Parish in University City on Aug. 1. Msgr. Michael Turek serves as pastor.
The dicastery rejected appeals from St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Luebbering and St. Catherine of Alexandria in Coffman, both of which were subsumed by other parishes on Aug. 1. St. Francis was subsumed by St. Clare Parish in St. Clair; Father Peter Blake serves as pastor of St. Clare, Immaculate Conception in Union and St. Joseph in Neier. St. Catherine was subsumed by St. Joseph Parish in Farmington; Father William Thess serves as pastor.
Faithful of the following parishes appealed suppressions or mergers and are still awaiting a decision from the Vatican: Our Lady of Sorrows in St. Louis, St. Bernadette in Lemay, St. Agnes in Bloomsdale, St. Lawrence in Lawrenceton, St. Paul in Berger, St. Barnabas in O’Fallon, and St. Matthew the Apostle in St. Louis.
