Click on the image above to be taken to the Archdiocese of St. Louis All Things New page.

Preparing for Mission Guidebook

The All Things New Parish Feedback Summary is now available. This summary encompasses listening session feedback, qualitative and quantitative online survey feedback, and free-form feedback (emails and letters). Click here. 

Visit: allthingsnew.archstl.org/ to view more information about All Things New.
 

Thank you for your recent participation in a parish listening session on Oct. 18 and 20. All parish listening sessions for your planning area have now been completed. You can now access all of the material shared at the listening session. You can complete the online survey to give your feedback about what you learned.

 Accessing the Material Shared at your Parish Listening Session:
To access the material that was shared at your parish listening session,    including the presentation, videos, and model option maps, visit allthingsnew.archstl.org/Planning-Process/Planning-Areas/Planning-Area-8
 Accessing the Online Survey:
To access the online survey to provide your feedback about the draft model options that were presented for your planning area, visit allthingsnew.archstl.org/Planning-Process/Planning-Areas/Planning-Area-8

 Here are some helpful hints to assist you with completing the survey:
· The online survey is open from today until December 31, 2022.
· The online survey will take approximately 10 to 20 minutes, depending on your responses to the open-ended questions.
· The online survey is anonymous; however, you will have the option to provide your name and contact information in case further clarification is needed about your comments.
· Once you start the online survey, you cannot stop or go back in to finish the survey. You will need to finish the online survey at one time.
· A list of all questions is attached to prepare your answers before starting the survey online.
· Only responses entered through the online survey will be accepted. Due to the anticipated volume of responses, we cannot accept any feedback not entered into the online survey.
· If you do not have access to a computer, the internet, or the online survey, contact your parish for assistance entering your survey responses.
· Due to the anticipated volume of responses, we cannot answer any questions you submit through the online survey. If you have any questions that require a response, send them to [email protected]l.org.

 Compilation of the Online Survey Results:
Based on previous experience and the response to other archdiocesan surveys, we anticipate approximately 20,000 to 30,000 responses to the online survey. All of the feedback will be individually reviewed as it is received by a team comprised of individuals from the All Things New team, the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, and the Catholic Leadership Institute. This compilation will occur through early January 2023 and will be used to add to and modify existing model options. These revised model options will be shared with priests, deacons, parish life coordinators, and key parish leaders in the winter of 2023 for further feedback.  

Questions:
· For any questions about All Things New, email [email protected]. 
· For any questions about accessing or completing the online survey, email [email protected].

Thank you for your feedback and participation in the All Things New initiative.

Sincerely,
Catholic Leadership Institute
 

We all know that the Church of today is not the same that it was 50, 100, or 150+ years ago, and yet we are still functioning in many ways out of the same mode of evangelization. We have inherited a great treasure of Catholic institutions from previous generations, but as the Catholic population and society have shifted over the past several decades, they are no longer as effective or sustainable as they once were.

We are closer now to 2050 than to 1950. We need to ask ourselves what our parishes, ministries, and institutions need to look like in order to effectively share the faith in a way that is suitable and sustainable for our children and generations to come.

All Things New is evaluating the effectiveness of the Church in St. Louis in proclaiming the Gospel and identifying opportunities for improvement and renewal within all parishes, schools, and curia offices and agencies.

Why is the Archdiocese of St. Louis making these changes now?  

• Our Catholic population continues to decline and age.
• Our priests are aging and as a result, their number is declining.
• Mass attendance and sacramental participation continue to decline.
• Fewer children attend Catholic Schools and Religious Education (PSR).
• Our resources are finite and need to be realigned.

• Recommendations concerning buildings to be used by the merged parish
• The number of priests initially assigned
• Suggested evangelization and ministry strategies

What is the timeline for this? 
While decisions will be made in spring 2023, implementation will not begin until fall 2023 and will extend through 2026. Implementation will occur in a phased approach over time to allow for orderly planning and transition at the local level, led by your pastor and supported by the Archdiocese.

What can we as local Catholics do now?
You are encouraged to attend your parish’s listening sessions with open hearts and minds. Continue to attend Mass, participate in the Sacraments and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to pour out upon the Church of St. Louis, to grant us the gift of true discernment, so we may do His will in all things.
 

Sacred Heart Key Findings from the Disciple Maker Index Survey

 
Top Three Strengths of Sacred Heart by Highest Percentage Strongly Agree
· Belief: Scripture is word of God
· Belief: Eucharist is body/blood of Christ
· Recommend Parish
 
Top Three Opportunities for Sacred Heart by Lowest Percentage Strongly Agree
· Conversation: Sharing personal story
· Conversation: Sharing story of Jesus
· Conversation: Confidence in teachings
 

The Archdiocese of St. Louis and All Things New
The Archdiocese of St. Louis is made up of 178 parishes encompassing the City of St. Louis and 10 surrounding counties – a large and diverse territory:  urban, suburban, and rural.
Thirty-five percent of our diocesan priests (74 priests) serving in parishes are 65 years of age or older.  By 2026, we will have fewer diocesan priests to serve in parishes than the number of parishes.
Prior to the COVID- 19 pandemic, Mass attendance was declining between 0.5% to 1% per year. The long-term implications of COVID are unknown, but the rebound in Mass attendance from 2020 to 2021 still leaves us 25% below pre-COVID levels. In 2019, only 33% of our pews were occupied during the typical weekend Mass. By 2021, only 25% of our pews were occupied during the typical weekend Mass.
As many as 5,000 Catholics are “leaving” the Church – OR –  not re-engaging in the Church after high school or college.
In the last decade, the percentage of the adult population claiming no religious affiliation (the “Nones”) grew from 17% to 26%.  In the last decade, the percentage of the millennial population claiming no religious affiliation grew from 27% to 40%.
Our Planning Area for All Things New
Our Planning Area is mostly in St. Louis County, with the exception of the western border in Franklin County and the southern border in Jefferson County. The geography of this area is defined by three Interstates (64, 44, and 270, Highways 109 and 141, and the Missouri River to the northwest and Jefferson County to the south.
There are 11 territorial parishes, one personal parish, and nine parish elementary schools in the planning area. Currently, there are 25 diocesan and six order priests assigned to this group.
Churches on the eastern side of this planning area have parishes within five miles of each other in the northeast and southeast sections. Ascension, St. Clare, and Holy Infant are within 3-4 miles also within short drives to nearby churches to the east. Three churches in the western part of the planning area are 7-8 miles apart but linked by major roadways.
The total population in the planning area in the 2020 census was 255,008 which was up 3% from 2010. The population is aging. The percentage of the population 55 or older has risen from 20% in 2020 to 34% in 2021. Despite the heavily Catholic population and the stable general population, Mass
attendance has declined 44% from 2014 and is now at 12,000 on an average weekend. Given the number of masses, attendance fills the churches in this planning area at 28% of capacity. The nine elementary schools in this
planning area have 2,348 children enrolled in Catholic elementary schools, down 15% from 5 years ago. Three schools have fewer than 200 students.  There are 2,196 students enrolled in PSR in 2021, down 35% from five years earlier.
 
More about Sacred Heart and results from the Disciple Maker Index survey to come!