蜜芽传媒

ST. LOUIS 鈥� Tim Lowery feels strongly that his church, Sacred Heart in Florissant, won鈥檛 be closed down. It survived 18 years ago when the Archdiocese of 蜜芽传媒 consolidated dozens of other parishes, many in north 蜜芽传媒 County.

Though, as the mayor of Florissant, Lowery and his economic development manager are ready to get to work to ensure that if any church property in their community does shutter, it won鈥檛 stay vacant for long.

鈥淔rom a business standpoint, I totally see why it has to be done,鈥� Lowery said. 鈥淏ut as a Catholic, it鈥檚 very difficult to see more parishes close.鈥�

As Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski prepares to announce sweeping changes to the blueprint of 178 parishes across the region in a plan called 鈥淎ll Things New,鈥� concerns about vacant churches, schools and other buildings have mounted. In online surveys, many of the faithful have lamented the possibility of parish mergers or closures not only for fear of losing their community but also the potential for greater economic and racial divides.

The closing of dozens of parishes across the region in 2005 proved beneficial by bringing new families to Sacred Heart and other larger parishes today, Lowery said. But he still remembers the initial aftermath and the difficulty others faced when they lost their spiritual home base.

It鈥檚 a kind of loss that can be traumatic because the parish embodies more than just a physical place to worship, said , a cultural historian at Washington University. It can be a neighborhood anchor, a locus of social connection, a place of collective memory.

鈥淎n ailing church or a church that closes is a sort of harbinger that the heart and soul of the community is lost,鈥� Kolk said.

Congregants at Grace Missionary Baptist Church in north city鈥檚 蜜芽传媒 Place neighborhood, for example, wanted its cinder block sanctuary to be relocated rather than be demolished in order to make way for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency鈥檚 new western headquarters. The church had served residents for decades before NGA arrived. The church鈥檚 importance to parishioners was telling, Kolk said, because many had lost their homes.

鈥淧sychologically, and emotionally, there鈥檚 an investment in the space,鈥� Kolk said. 鈥淭hat sense of it being the location of something sacred and beautiful.鈥�

Repurposing vacant churches, she said, can be a way of serving the community again, in another fashion.

With the 鈥淎ll Things New鈥� concept of pastorates 鈥� one or more parishes sharing a pastor 鈥� some hope that any extra buildings could be used by parishioners to open child care centers, food pantries or other charities.

An old farmhouse on the Assumption Catholic Church campus in south 蜜芽传媒 County was used for storage for years before reopening in 2021 as a drop-in support center for women in crisis. The partnership between the parish and , a Catholic Charities affiliate, points to the possibilities for expanding into new ministries.

Saint Martha鈥檚 has run a battered women鈥檚 shelter for 40 years but needed a drop-in site for other services like legal advocacy, financial assistance and support groups. The farmhouse once served as Assumption鈥檚 offices when the parish was much larger.

Assumption parishioners helped clean, paint and landscape the farmhouse before renting it to the charity. In turn, the women who run Saint Martha鈥檚 have served at the parish fish fries and other events.

鈥淚t鈥檚 what we鈥檙e called to do as Catholics, reach out and help,鈥� said Denise Rieck, parishioner at Assumption. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been somewhat of a way to evangelize as well. I think it鈥檚 made our parish better and stronger.鈥�

鈥楪rave cause鈥� required to close a church

The proposals for 鈥淎ll Things New鈥� offer some hints as to potential new uses for extra buildings created by merged parishes. While churches 鈥渕ust remain accessible to the faithful for prayer unless there exists grave cause to close them, some churches may not be regularly used for the celebration of Sacraments,鈥� reads the archdiocese website.

In the downtown 蜜芽传媒 pastorate, St. John, Apostle and Evangelist church is proposed as an 鈥渁lternative worship site鈥� while the main site would be 蜜芽传媒, King of France (Old Cathedral). At least two parishes in south 蜜芽传媒, St. Cronan and Sts. Peter and Paul, would become chapels, or worship sites that don鈥檛 necessarily host Mass.

After a parish merger, the pastor and archdiocesan leaders will review the condition of any extra buildings 鈥渟o that eventual decisions about facilities will support the ministry of the parish and will constitute good stewardship,鈥� reads an 鈥淎ll Things New鈥� document.

, president of Catholic Charities, said 鈥淎ll Things New鈥� could also bring more opportunities for social outreach in parish facilities, particularly in rural areas of the archdiocese.

鈥淥ne of the goals of every parish is to serve all the people who live in the boundaries, not just the Catholics,鈥� Bryson said.

Parishioners in eight out of 15 planning areas listed homeless services or affordable housing as a top three priority, archdiocese surveys showed. Immigrant and refugee services including English language classes are also needed throughout the region, Bryson said.

In real estate terms, churches are considered 鈥渟pecial use鈥� 鈥� properties that don鈥檛 fit in the traditional buckets of the residential, office or industrial markets. That鈥檚 led to churches, if they鈥檙e not repurposed into other houses of worship, to be transformed into unique uses like office buildings, apartments, charter schools and even a skate park.

The possibility of a new wave of emptied Catholic churches has developers considering the challenges in the current real estate market.

Those located near high profile intersections or in desirable communities are more apt to be redeveloped, said of real estate agency Hilliker Corp., who sold many of the south 蜜芽传媒 churches that closed in 2005 and 2006. Holy Innocents, just west of Tower Grove Park, was acquired by The Journey, a growing interdenominational church with multiple 蜜芽传媒-area locations. Holy Family on Humphrey Street was turned into an office building that is up for sale again. And St. Aloysius Gonzaga in 蜜芽传媒鈥� The Hill neighborhood was demolished to make way for new housing.

鈥淲hen neighborhoods are mourning the loss of their 100-year-old church and school,鈥� Ball said, 鈥測ou try to turn it into a positive where you benefit the community with what you put there.鈥�

The churches typically are historic with significant architectural detail and dated infrastructure, so finding the right user with the right vision and plan can take time, said of Manor Real Estate.

鈥淭he vast majority of these types of properties, despite deferred maintenance, can be brought to life and be repurposed,鈥� Cherry said.