The Archdiocese of St. Louis - Grow, Don’t Shrink
As the second oldest Roman Catholic archdiocese in the United States, St. Louis occupies a special place in the history of the Catholic Church in America. For more than half of the 20th century, Cardinals John Glennon and Joseph Ritter led the Archdiocese to such achievements as the construction of the Cathedral Basilica, considered one of the great cathedrals in the world with the largest collection of mosaics anywhere. In addition, shortly after World War II, Cardinal Ritter ordered the early desegregation of Archdiocesan schools, well before the Supreme Court decision changing the law forever in Brown v. Board of Education. In fact, Cardinal Ritter and the St. Louis Archdiocese played a key role in assisting Dr. King and in the 1960’s civil rights movement.
In many ways a fitting culmination to the 20th century for the Archdiocese, then Pope John Paul II, now Saint John Paul II, celebrated what is believed to be the largest indoor Mass in history before 100,000 congregants at the America’s Center in January,1999. While St. Louis had experienced slow growth for a number of decades in comparison to West Coast and Sun Belt cities, this papal event demonstrated the enormous presence of the Catholic Church within the St. Louis region.
This is a plea to the leadership of the Archdiocese to rededicate itself to the kind of bold outreach and risk taking which characterize its history as one of the great centers of Catholicism. It took both vision and guts to build the Cathedral over a period of 60 years and it took vision and guts to open all Catholic schools to all races in 1947. Today, rather than thinking in terms of closing and consolidation, it is time to go on the offensive with renewed efforts to recruit, convert and energize the neighborhoods, subdivisions and more rural areas of the entire Archdiocese.
Why not emphasize a message of hope and growth reflecting a Church which is built on the core foundations of Catholic teaching: dignity, community, family and care for all people? As a dramatic reflection of this bold history, the Archdiocese should go on record in support of women in the role of Deacon, which was the practice in the early days of the Church, in order to open the doors to the extraordinary power of women engaged in ministry and pastoral care. It is important to note that over 500,000 women religious served the Archdiocese after WWII. Today there are fewer than 90,000.
As another bold step, the Archdiocese should permit the taking of communion by divorced and remarried Catholics. Pope Francis, in his 2016 papal exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, commented favorably on this practice as one to be left up to the various Bishops in their respective dioceses. In the communion practice as well as permitting women to become Deacons, Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego has led the way and acted as the US leader for positive change within the Church in America.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis needs priests and dedicated religious. The Church must appeal more fully to young people and all people of color. This is where growth lies and renewal can be found. It is time for the Archdiocese to focus on these messages rather than a gospel of decline.