A Survivor Keeps Vigil on the Steps of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
Before I begin writing about how parish closings of the Archdiocese of St. Louis affect my Midwestern community, I have to first acknowledge an encounter from summer 2023.
During the year of “All Things New” in St. Louis, Mo, the Archdiocese of St. Louis decided to close churches, relocate worship services, and shutter educational institutions in a metropolitan area where nearly a half a million Catholics still practice. The Archdiocese points to its declining numbers in both the faithful and the ordained. Yet, as it is widely reported, pulling back the curtain during the past two decades revealed legal troubles of a grave nature. And according to victim and victim advocate Chris O’Leary, the stain on the priesthood is nothing new: Sexual abuse combined with years of impunity must be prosecuted and come to an end.
On the evening of June 10, 2023, I was driving past the magnificent monument that is The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in the City’s famed Central West End, and I felt compelled to slow down to a stop and meet this lone protestor whose sign gave me pause. Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is not up for public discussion in this town. Here is someone who has for years been willing to defy the social graces.
