Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

ALL THINGS NEW – Steadfast in Faith - Forward in Hope

Strategic Pastoral Planning Initiative for the Archdiocese of St. Louis

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF ST. LOUIS IS ENTRUSTED WITH EDUCATING APPROXIMATELY 19,000 STUDENTS WITHIN OUR PAROCHIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS AND 10 SURROUNDING COUNTIES.

      Our schools allow our children to grow deeper in our Catholic faith, develop a sense of purpose, receive a quality education, join a welcoming community, and feel secure in a dynamic future. However, our existing building structures are running at less than 65% capacity.  Many of our schools are facing increased costs affecting tuition, due to declining enrollment, increased building maintenance, and parishes unable to subsidize the cost of a school.

Current Landscape for 2022/2023 School Year:

    •  85 Parish (K-8) Schools

    •  19,315 Students

    •  $50 Million Non-Tuition Subsidy

 

A letter from the Office for Strategic Planning

October 17, 2022

 “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them, they will be his people, and God himself will always be with them [as their God]…The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”  Revelation 21:3-5

Dear Families of St. Peter Parish,

      As you know, the Archdiocese of St. Louis is examining all of its parishes, schools, ministries and agencies, evaluating our effectiveness as a local Church in proclaiming the Gospel. Our goal is to “make all things new” by Gospel renewal and to enhance our evangelization to secure a vibrant future for the Church in St. Louis.

      As we continue to prayerfully discern our future, Archbishop Rozanski is seeking additional input and feedback from current school families about your Catholic school experience. The previous school survey sent out last spring provided a broad overview focused on what is valued and what is experienced across a variety of audiences. This follow-up survey is more specific to parish school families with questions about tuition, class sizes, teacher compensation, etc. A summary of the subsidy rates provided to elementary schools from the archdiocese, and to your particular school, will also be made available on the All Things New website.

      Our schools allow your children to grow deeper in our Catholic faith, receive a quality education, and join a welcoming community where they can feel secure in a dynamic future. However, we recognize that our current model is unsustainable in the long term. Our existing building structures are running at less than 65% capacity, and due to our expansive footprint, many of our schools are facing:

    • increased costs that are affecting tuition,

    • declining enrollment often based on geography,

    • increased building maintenance needs, and

    • parishes that are unable to subsidize the cost of a school. 

      We want to know where your children attend school and the best of what is. We want you to share what you love about your school and the “NEW” you would like to see in your school as a result of All Things New. We want to provide you another opportunity to ask questions or make comments.

      We realize change is hard and requires courage. We are asking for your commitment to an open heart and reason as we are faced with difficult decisions today that will provide for a more hopeful future for future generations of our Church.

      The survey can be taken online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NQYVH6M and will be open until Tuesday, November 1, 2022.

      Thank you in advance for your ongoing input, support and prayers. If you have any questions or would like to provide additional input, please contact us at allthingsnew@archstl.org.

 

Sincerely,

Reverend Christopher Martin

Vicar for Strategic Planning