All Things New Update

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy has rejected the petition for recourse from St. Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist Parish in north St. Louis. This means the Vatican upheld Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski’s decree that joined St. Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist Parish through an extinctive union to the newly erected parish temporarily named Our Lady of the Holy Cross, St. Augustine, St. Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist and St. Matthew the Apostle Parish. An outstanding appeal remains from St. Matthew Parish, as well as 11 other parishes in the archdiocese.

St. Louis Catholic Academy to relocate

St. Louis Catholic Academy will be relocated to the former campus of La Salle Charter School at 1106 N. Jefferson Ave., starting with the 2024-25 school year, the archdiocese announced on March 13. The new location is about four miles southeast of the current school on the campus of St. Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist Church in the Penrose neighborhood of St. Louis.

“This building will provide a viable, turnkey setting in which the Archdiocese of St. Louis can deliver state-of-the-art, quality education in a renovated space that has a long legacy of Catholic education,” the archdiocese said in a statement.

St. Bridget of Erin Parish was established on the N. Jefferson site in 1853, and the first school building was constructed in 1871. It was replaced with the existing school building in 1957. Several schools merged to form Central Catholic Community School at the location, which operated from 1970 to 2012. The building was sold to La Salle Charter School, which closed in 2023.

Saint Louis Priory to expand middle school

Saint Louis Priory School will add a sixth-grade class beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year. The all-boys private school currently enrolls students in seventh grade through high school. While Saint Louis Priory has discerned offering a sixth grade since its foundation in 1956, “recent developments in the educational landscape have prompted our school’s lay and monastic governance to consider the question with renewed focus,” school headmaster Father Cuthbert Elliott, OSB, wrote in an email to alumni.

PPCS hires new COO

Peter & Paul Community Services announced that Amanda Laumeyer will be joining the executive leadership team at PPCS starting in April as Chief Operating Officer. Laumeyer will lead professional development and help guide strategic direction and program growth as well as fundraising, human resources, and other executive functions of the agency. She brings nearly nine years of experience in homeless services at St. Patrick Center, where she served as a member of the executive team and led the organization’s community engagement, fundraising and marketing efforts. In April 2023 she was appointed CEO, succeeding Anthony D’Agostino in that role after his departure to take the reins at PPCS.

Mass for Racial Unity

Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski will celebrate the third annual Mass for Racial Unity at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, at St. Josephine Bakhita Parish at Sts. Teresa and Bridget Church, 2431 N. Grand Blvd. in north St. Louis.

Tenebrae service in Florissant

A Tenebrae service will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, at Sacred Heart Parish, 751 N. Jefferson St. in Florissant. The ancient tradition is a prayer service featuring Matins and Lauds chanted in Latin in a darkened church. Interspersed readings on the passion of Christ will be read, while 15 candles are gradually extinguished, one after each Psalm, until only one remains. The service will last about two hours, and booklets will be provided to help follow along.

Vocation Day at St. Gianna

St. Gianna Parish is hosting a Vocation Day for sixth- through 12th-grade students from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at the church, 450 East Highway N in Wentzville. Several men and women from religious orders and diocesan priesthood will be on hand to share their vocation stories. The event will include Rosary, Mass, eucharistic adoration, confession, spiritual direction and prayer. Breakfast and lunch will be provided at the free event, along with talks, ice-breaker activities, breakout sessions and a Q&A panel with the priests and women religious. For more information on the event or to register, visit stgiannaparish.org.

Where Art Serves the World

“Where Art Serves the World,” an afternoon with internationally-noted Catholic sculptor Don Wiegand, will take place on Wednesday, April 10, at Mercy Conference and Retreat Center in Frontenac. Wiegand’s sculptures have been installed in locations throughout the United States and the world, including a bronze bas relief of Pope Francis for The Pontifical Academy of Science at the Vatican. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., and a box lunch and drinks will be served at noon. Cost is $50 per person and $275 for a table of six. Livestream access is $15 per household. Tickets may be purchased at mercycenterstl.org.