Whereas Saint Matthew the Apostle Parish in Saint Louis, Missouri, was erected by my predecessor, the Most Reverend Peter Richard Kenrick, in 1893;
Whereas Saint Matthew the Apostle Church, located at 2715 North Sarah Street in Saint Louis, Missouri, is a church constituted within the territory of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis (cf canon 1214), having been dedicated in 1907;
Whereas Our Lady of the Holy Cross Parish, Saint Augustine Parish, Saint Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist Parish, and Saint Matthew the Apostle Parish, all in Saint Louis, Missouri, were amalgamated into the newly erected Saint Peter Claver Parish in Saint Louis, Missouri, on August 1, 2023;
Whereas the primary place of worship of Saint Peter Claver Parish is Saint Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist, Church (dedicated as Saint Englebert Church in 1927); Whereas Saint Matthew the Apostle Church has been increasingly subject to vandalism and theft since worship no longer regularly takes place there and given the lack of onsite security;
Whereas Saint Peter Claver Parish does not have the financial means to repair and maintain Saint Matthew the Apostle Church together with the property of the former Our Lady of the Holy Cross Parish, the former Saint Augustine Parish, and the former Saint Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist, Parish;
Whereas the closure of Saint Matthew the Apostle Church will not harm the good of souls since worship at Saint Peter Claver Parish is being provided at Saint Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist Church;
Therefore, after having consulted the Presbyteral Council of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis concerning the petition (canon 127 §2, 2°), I, the Most Reverend Mitchell T. Rozanski, Metropolitan Archbishop of Saint Louis, hereby decree, in accordance with the norms of canon 1222 §2, the closure of Saint Matthew the Apostle Church and its reduction to profane but not sordid use.
I direct that the altar and other sacred objects be removed and carefully stored (cf canons 1238 §2 and 1239 §1).
This Decree is effective July 13, 2026. Its official notification is its publication on June 22, 2026, in the St. Louis Review. I direct that the Pastor of Saint Peter Claver Parish announce at all Masses on the prior weekend that this Decree is being published in the St. Louis Review.
Any member of Saint Peter Claver Parish who claims to have been aggrieved by this Decree has the right to seek its revocation or emendation (canon 1734). This request must be made in writing and postmarked no later than July 2, 2026, to the Most Reverend Archbishop of Saint Louis, Cardinal Rigali Center, 20 Archbishop May Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri 63119.
Anything to the contrary notwithstanding.
Given in the offices of the Curia of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, this third day of June, in the Year of Our Lord 2026.
Most Reverend Mitchell T. Rozanski
Archbishop of Saint Louis
Very Reverend Philip J. Bené, J.C.D.
Notary
