Reorganization will cut St. Louis Catholic parishes from 178 to 134

The Archdiocese of St. Louis will go from 178 parishes to 134 under a reorganization plan announced Saturday.

“The church experience in our parishes today is not the same as it was 50 years ago,” said Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski. “Yet we are still functioning in many ways out of the same mode of evangelization with the same structures. We have inherited a great treasure of Catholic institutions from previous generations, but many of them are no longer as effective or sustainable as they once were.”

The reorganization known as All Things New was the product of two years' work by church officials and lay leaders, with the help of the Catholic Leadership Institute. The changes will start to take effect Aug. 1, with complete implementation by 2026.

Rozanski said a shrinking and shifting population was the driving factor behind the changes. He acknowledged they would be difficult for faithful Catholics in the region, which includes a city named for a Catholic king of France.

“As archbishop of this incredible community, I wish these changes were not necessary, but it is what we are called to do at this moment,” he said.