ST. LOUIS — The Archdiocese of St. Louis is still in the middle of a restructuring plan.
A message from Father Jack Siefert in the bulletin at St. Ambrose parish Saturday evening showed a timeline for the archdiocese's "All Things New" plan.
According to the timeline, the archdiocese will announce the final decisions for Catholic grade schools in early January and final parish decisions in May.
The “All Things New” strategic plan was launched in January 2022. The draft models on how to restructure parishes are complete. The second step was to hear from parishioners.
The plan will bring hard changes such as school closures and parish mergers. But it will also bring welcome changes such as higher teacher salaries and more affordable tuition.
The archdiocese said there would be 350 listening sessions spread throughout 178 parishes between October and December. Parishioners must register to attend.
For Cynthia Forcelledo Goudy, she is already feeling the effects of what's to come.
Goudy is the chair for RK Forever, an alumnae-led group trying to make Rosati-Kain an independent school.
This is after the archdiocese announced in September, it will close two high schools including St. Mary's and Rosati-Kain.
School leaders are motivated to keep both schools open, but Goudy said that does not stop her from worrying about other school closures.
"When I think about that January date and how do we gather those people and make sure they are okay. Where are those children going to go to school?" she asked.
She believes the schools will be forced to close on June 30.
"It seems they won’t give them one year because we weren’t granted that," she said.
The Archdiocesan fiscal school year runs from July 1 through June 30.
Timeline for the “All Things New” program:
October to December 2023:
- Parish listening sessions conducted
- Fall 2022 DRAFT model option parishioner survey open for feedback
- Parishioner survey feedback compilation beings in late November
January 2023:
- Announcement of final decisions for Catholic Grade Schools for 2023-2024 school year (week of January 9, 2023)
- Parishioner survey feedback compilation complete
- Winter 2022 DRAFT model options (incorporating all Fall 2022 feedback) developed
- Winter 2022 DRAFT model options reviewed with Archbishop’s consultative bodies
February to mid-March 2023:
- Winter 2022 DRAFT Model Options reviewed with Archdiocesan priests (February 2, 2023)
- Winter 2022 DRAFT Model Options reviewed with Archdiocesan Pastoral Council and Parish Life Coordinators
- Winter 2022 DRAFT Model Options reviewed with Pastors, Deacons, Parish Life Coordinators, and Key Parish Leaders by Planning Area gatherings (February 20, 2023 - March 10, 2023)
Mid-March 2023 - April 2023:
- DRAFT Model Options revised with feedback from January through March
- FINAL DRAFT Model Options reviewed with Archbishop’s Consultative Bodies
May 2023:
- FINAL DRAFT Model Options reviewed with Archdiocesan priests, Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, and Parish Life Coordinators (May 22, 2023)
- Announcement of Final parish models (Pentecost Weekend 2023)
The final “All Things New” plan will be announced in May of 2023.
There are no plans for listening sessions regarding schools. The final school blueprint will be implemented for the 2023-2024 school year.
Changes to other facets of the archdiocese may take up to three years to complete.
For more information about the plan, click here. To sign up for one of the listening sessions, click here.
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