Latin America Apostolate

Closure of the Latin America Apostolate

The Archdiocese of St. Louis has announced the closure of the Latin America Apostolate. For more information, please click here. We express our gratitude to the Archdiocese of St. Louis for their support over these past 64 years and pray for our Bolivian brothers and sisters during this time of transition. We remain united always in the heart of Christ.

 

History

Due to the shortage of native priests in the Archdiocese of La Paz, Archbishop Abel Antezana requested that Archbishop Joseph Ritter send priests from St. Louis to serve in La Paz. In May 1956, the Archdiocese of St. Louis sent the first three priests - Father David Ratermann, Monsignor Andrew Kennedy, and Father Andrew Schierhoff. They began their missionary work in what would become Cristo Rey Parish (Christ the King) in La Paz. Archbishop Ritter later said that the decision to send priests of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis as foreign missionaries was the most important decision in his twenty-three years as a bishop.

In 1959, Archbishop Ritter invited the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood from O'Fallon, Missouri to serve in a parish school that would be built at Cristo Rey. The first Sisters to be assigned received their mission crosses from Archbishop Ritter in August 1959. They were Sister Christine Foeller, Sister Mary John Bosco Sanders, and Sister Mary Christopher Fiala, C.PP.S. The Sisters not only taught in the parish school, but also worked in health care and developed religious education for children, youth, and adults.

Later on, the Sisters of Loretto also established a mission in Bolivia.In the 1960s, a program called Papal Volunteers in Latin America (PAVLA) opened the door for participation of lay missioners. Frank Clarke and Mary Jane Krekeler were the first to serve and were later joined by twelve other lay people. These fourteen individuals worked in various capacities, including health care services, educational and human development programs, cooperatives to provide job training, and care for the poor through the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. Other dioceses followed this example set by the Archdiocese of St. Louis. 

 

Mosiac at the Cathedral Basilica

 The St. Louis Cathedral Basilica is famous for its many beautiful mosaics. Some of them depict important events in the history of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. One such mosaic, illustrating the history and commemorating the mission outreach of the Latin America Apostolate, can be found on the west side of the arch over the main nave. There is an unusual scene: a priest dressed in a cassock, a sister in a habit, indigenous people in their typical dress, and a llama, an animal native to the Andes Mountains of South America. This mosaic was completed while John L. May was Archbishop (1980-1992).