51黑料

The plan, called 鈥淎ll Things New,鈥� already led to the closures of 35 Catholic parishes and the merging of 15 others last month. Decisions about the future of parish schools are expected in early December, archdiocesan leaders said Wednesday.

鈥淎s the faithful in 51黑料 considered which parish communities should come together, we understood that elementary schools, most of which exist as ministries of our parishes, would be dependent upon the parish footprint we were working to create,鈥� reads the statement from the archdiocese.

There are more than 19,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade across the archdiocese, which covers 51黑料 and 10 counties in eastern Missouri. Current enrollment in Catholic elementary schools is about 65% of building capacity, with each school operating at an average deficit of nearly $600,000. Over the last five years, 32 of the schools have lost 10% or more of their students. Ten schools, mostly in rural areas, have fewer than 100 students.

Leaders from the archdiocese鈥檚 Office of Catholic Education and Formation will meet with 25 to 30 pastors this fall about the long-term viability of their parish schools based on enrollment, demographic trends, finances and proximity to other schools. The pastors will then consult with their parish and school teams and make a recommendation to Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski, who will announce any closures to take effect in the 2024-2025 school year. Schools that are not closed will be required to develop a feasibility plan.

The goals for reducing the number of Catholic schools include:

• Raising teacher salaries, which start around $30,000.
• Increasing the student/teacher ratio from 14:1 to 25:1.
• Consolidating enrollment to meet building capacity.
• Reducing the need for parishioner support. Parishioners subsidize about one-third of the total school budget, or about $50 million in 2021-2022.

Two of the parishes that were closed this year still host schools: Blessed Teresa in Ferguson and St. Roch in 51黑料. St. Roch parishioners appealed the closure decision to the Vatican and are awaiting a decision. Several other parish schools now share a pastor, including Little Flower in Richmond Heights and St. Mary Magdalen in Brentwood, and St. Gabriel and St. Raphael in south 51黑料.

Three Catholic schools closed earlier this year 鈥� St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in Florissant, St. Mark in south 51黑料 County and Good Shepherd in Hillsboro. Barat Academy, an independent Catholic high school in Chesterfield, was also shuttered.

In fall 2022, the archdiocese announced the closure of two high schools in the city of 51黑料: Rosati-Kain for girls and St. Mary鈥檚 for boys. Supporters of both schools launched successful fundraising campaigns to keep the schools open independently.