ST. LOUIS — A group of parishioners at St. Gianna Catholic Church in Wentzville are fighting against a proposed plan to dismantle their parish.
It’s part of the Archdiocese of St. Louis' All Things New restructuring program.
The parishioners at St. Gianna said their church is growing, they don’t have any debt and they want to have more of a say in a process they feel is unfair.
St. Gianna was presented with several models in All Things New.
“We're growing. Our mass attendance has returned to - actually exceeded pre-pandemic levels,” Elisabeth Meinecke with Friends of St. Gianna said. "We are producing vocations, and yet, in three of the four models that were presented to our parish, our parish community was disbanded, and even the fourth model changed our parish status."
Missouri State Sen. Bob Onder (R-St. Charles County), a founding member at St. Gianna, said one of the proposed ideas under All Things New would transition the church into an entirely Spanish-speaking congregation, citing a new meat packing plant being built nearby.
“We would welcome a Spanish mass here at St. Gianna, but the idea of only having Spanish masses and kicking out everyone else … that's just not right," Onder said. "In fact, 10 years ago, the Conference of Catholic Bishops specifically decried this idea of ethnic ghetto parishes and said that we should be more inclusive and more diverse and incorporate people’s needs."
In response to the archdiocese's proposed plans for the church, several parishioners started the group Friends Of St. Gianna to help educate people about what was happening. Together, they signed what’s called a mandate.
“It's what they call it under canon law," Meinecke said. "It's basically just a document that says, 'Listen, we would like to pause All Things New, and we would like a voice in this process.' And so, essentially, each Catholic in the archdiocese can sign this."
Mike Brown, another founding member, said St. Gianna means a lot to his family.
“I pray that we stay, as we are a stand-alone church. I pray that Father Elliott can stay there as a pastor. It's a great place to be,” Brown said.
Friends of St. Gianna said the next step will be presenting the mandate to the archbishop and hopefully opening up the dialog.
Statement from Chris Martin, vicar for strategic planning, Archdiocese of St. Louis:
“As Catholics, our parishes are not defined by buildings; parishes are made up of people who gather to worship and grow in faith together. We are proud of all our Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, which encompasses 10 counties and the City of St. Louis. The All Things New planning process is not about reward and punishment or winners and losers. The reality is that priest availability, demographic shifts and pastoral needs have changed. We are asking all of our clergy and laity to adapt for the greater good of building a more vibrant Church that brings more people to Christ.
A dedicated parish for current and future Spanish-speaking neighbors in this planning area was among the recommendations from our Hispanic Pastoral Leaders Group and Hispanic Ministry Office. We have also consulted the Warren County Economic Council and representatives of American Food Groups, the company building a facility in Warren County. While some model options recommend St. Gianna as the Hispanic personal parish site, this decision has yet to be determined.
The most efficient way for members of any parish to provide feedback on proposed models is through the post-listening session survey. More than 7,500 people have completed that survey, and it remains open through Dec. 31. We encourage all parishioners in the archdiocese to remain engaged with us during this process so we can continue to update these models to reflect the discerning feedback we have received.”
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