ST. LOUIS — Some parishes across the St. Louis area held mass for the final time Sunday.
It was an emotional day for many as downsizing continues in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
The continued closure and merging of parishes through the Archdiocese's "All Things New" restructuring plan also comes during the holy season of Lent.
Mike Stephens, St. Roch Parish Council President, said his parish is holding onto hope, even though the future remains unknown.
"We're an anchor in the community. People value the product we offer here at St. Roch and that's why people continue to support it, even in uncertain times," he said.
The closing deeply upsets many Catholics, including Stephens.
"I'm very disheartened that these parishes are closing, that they're having their last mass. I don't know what their individual situations are, but it's sad to see that the church is closing parishes all over the place where they used to be a very dynamic force," he said.
Fortunately, Stephens and his parish aren't in that boat.
Under the "All Things New" restructuring plan St. Roch would merge into Christ the King Parish, but that's on pause for now as they wait to hear back from the Vatican.
"The Dicastery has issued some decisions on some appeals, but they haven't said anything about ours yet," he said.
As the congregation waits to see what happens, they are keeping the faith and continuing to serve their community.
According to Stephens, children are still enrolling in their school and attendance at their weekly mass has tripled.
"We have a lot of new faces at church on Sunday. A lot of people I don't know, a lot of new families in the school that I don't know, and it's great to see that the parish and the school are continuing to evolve and grow in the community," he said.
That growth in support is showing in the numbers too, according to Stephen.
"We went out and did a quick 2- or 3-week fundraising campaign just by phone. We raised $400,000. We have massive support here in the community and people value what we have to offer at St. Roch," he said.
While they prepare to celebrate Lent in their home sanctuary, Stephens said, the St. Roch congregation is hopeful in their future.
"While we are in the appeal process, people have acted like we're going forward because we know we have a great situation here and a great group of people in our parish and a great school and people know that we're moving forward," he said.
5 On Your Side asked to visit a parish that was hosting its final mass Sunday. The Archdiocese of St. Louis said they wanted to keep those services private.
St. Roch is one of several parishes across the area still awaiting a response from the Vatican.