SHREWSBURY 鈥 The decision to close two Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of 狐狸视频 will stand after a Vatican court rejected appeals from parishioners, church leaders said Thursday.
The court upheld Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski鈥檚 decrees from May 2023 to close St. Francis of Assisi parish in Franklin County and St. Catherine of Alexandria parish in Ste. Genevieve County.
St. Clare in St. Clair will absorb the finances and geographic territory of St. Francis, and St. Joseph in Farmington will take over St. Catherine under the 鈥淎ll Things New鈥 downsizing plan for the archdiocese.
The 鈥淎ll Things New鈥 plan called for the closures or mergers of 50 parishes and has led to the closures of three Catholic grade schools 鈥 Little Flower in Richmond Heights, St. Monica in Creve Coeur and St. Roch in 狐狸视频.
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Members of more than a dozen closed parishes filed appeals with Rozanski, who denied them all, followed by secondary appeals to the Dicastery for the Clergy at the Vatican.
Earlier this week, the archdiocese said the Vatican court overturned the parish closures of St. Angela Merici near Florissant and St. Martin of Tours in Lemay, which will remain open, but upheld the decision to close St. Roch parish.
The court previously overturned the closure decree for St. Richard parish near Creve Coeur and denied an appeal from the closed Blessed Teresa of Calcutta parish in Ferguson.
At least seven other parishes still have appeals pending at the Vatican, including Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Matthew the Apostle in 狐狸视频; St. Bernadette in 狐狸视频 County; St. Barnabas in St. Charles County; St. Paul in Franklin County; and St. Agnes and St. Lawrence in Ste. Genevieve County.