ST. LOUIS — The Archdiocese of St. Louis released a third draft of proposed changes coming to the church as part of its "All Things New" restructuring plan.
The newest draft models were published online April 28.
The archdiocese said most of the proposed parish configurations in the newest models remain unchanged from a second draft of changes released in February, in which the archdiocese outlined a proposed model that would consolidate 178 parishes into 88 pastorates. The archdiocese described the pastorates as a community overseen by one pastor and pastoral team.
There are several changes to multi-parish configurations in the new draft, with some parishes shifting into different planning areas. Pastors of affected parishes have been notified, the archdiocese said.
St. Louis Archdiocese releases third draft of proposed changes for 'All Things New' plan
"We are grateful for all the parishioners and parish ministries who have provided feedback, gathered, reviewed, and synthesized data, volunteered in many ways, and most importantly who continue to pray for the success of All Things New," Vicar for Strategic Planning Fr. Chris Martin said in a Friday statement regarding the update.
After consulting the Presbyteral Council, Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski will study the proposals and announce a final decision by May 28, Martin said.
Maps included in the announced draft showed instances of multiple current parishes becoming one pastorate and others where existing parishes remain unchanged. The announcement said the parishes that appear unchanged on the maps may still experience changes due to priest availability.
Earlier this month, more than 3,000 parishioners signed a "procurator mandate" to Rozanski rallying against the proposed changes in the "All Things New" plan.
How existing parishes merge into a single pastorate will be determined on a case-by-case basis, the archdiocese said in February, adding that if a parish property is ever sold, the money from the sale will "follow the people into their new parish," and the archdiocese can't and won't acquire any funds under canon law.
"In some cases, an individual parish may remain as its own pastorate, but may have to adapt some of its ministries and Mass times due to priest availability and coordinate with other parishes, ensuring vibrant evangelization and social outreach initiatives. In other cases, it may be that two or more parishes remain financially independent of each other but will become a new pastorate sharing one pastor and pastoral team. Finally, in some cases it may be that parishes merge their resources together and become a new pastorate under one pastor and pastoral team," the February announcement said of the pastorate process.
The plan does not say how Catholic schools will be affected. Last year, the archdiocese said it would postpone restructuring its Catholic elementary schools until the 2024-25 school year.
More information on the proposed plans is viewable on the "All Things New" website.
In February, Fr. Chris Martin sat down with 5 On Your Side for a one-on-one interview to answer questions regarding the "All Things New" draft:
