From The Federalist:
St. Louis Archdiocese Closes Thriving Traditional Latin Mass Parish
[…]
As a result of all those meetings and focus groups, St. Barnabas, a growing Traditional Latin Mass parish with children consisting of 35 percent of the congregation, zero debt, and a pastor who is not a part of the archdiocese, and therefore not taking away priestly resources from any other parish, was ordered by the archbishop to shutter its doors.
St. Barnabas has been subsumed by a parish less than two miles down the road called Assumption. This means that the Assumption parish will take control of St. Barnabas’ building, territory, and finances, including the nearly $600,000 in St. Barnabas’ bank account, in accordance with Canon law. Right now, the Assumption parish is running a deficit of more than $500,000 due to renovation expenses, which can be paid down once it gains control of St. Barnabas’ funds.
Now with St. Barnabas closed, anyone looking to attend a Latin Mass will have to drive more than 30 miles into the city to the Oratory of Sts. Gregory and Augustine’s or St. Francis de Sales — a trek that parishioner Susan Cooke said her 89-year-old mother couldn’t make.
“It’s sad to lose St. Barnabas itself,” Cooke said. “You know the property, it’s terrible that we’re going to be losing that, but it’s even more terrible that we won’t have a Latin Mass in St. Charles County anymore.”
In his decree letter, Rozanski cited St. Barnabas’ celebration of the Latin Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962 as being in violation of orders from the Vatican.
“The faithful who prefer such celebrations of the Holy Eucharist have become the greater part of the worshiping assembly at Saint Barnabas Parish, and Pope Francis by motu proprio Traditionis Custodes art. 3 has instructed that territorial parochial churches are not suitable for such celebrations,” the decree stated.
[…]
With their new Benedictine monk Fr. Dolce, St. Barnabas introduced two more weekend Mass times and a daily Mass. This year, the average attendance at its Latin Masses is 283 at both Sunday services — filling the church to 80 percent capacity. Since Oct. 1, 2022, St. Barnabas’ church attendance has gone up by 34 percent, according to Murphy.
[…]
What does the Archbishop want for that place? That it be a center for Hispanic ministry.
[…]
Some question if this Spanish language-only parish will stay afloat. According to U.S. Census data, only 4 percent of the population in St. Charles County is Hispanic. And the archdiocese already has four parishes that serve the Hispanic community with Spanish-language Masses as well as English-language Masses
[…]
Friends, brace yourselves. This will get worse before it gets better.
You must stay strong in your Catholic Faith no matter how badly your bishops treat you.
We are not exempt from the Passion.
