Post Dispatch Editorial: Archdiocese should take heed of trends

Last year, the St. Louis Archdiocese conducted a study of the Northeast Deanery, an area that stretches from Hazelwood to Jennings, to determine how to reconfigure the district. The archdiocese, acting upon declining Catholic population trends in the deanery, wants to make sure the parishes remain viable in the coming years.

It is certain some schools and churches will close. Until a first draft of the plan recommendations is released in August, no one knows for sure which ones.

It would be easy for archdiocesan officials to simply consider numbers on paper when deciding which schools and churches to close. North County may also be hampered by the fact that Archbishop Raymond Burke is new to St. Louis and may be unfamiliar with the dynamics of the area.

That's why the archdiocese needs to look beyond the study before making its final decision.

Many have left or are leaving the area and moving west or south...What are these 'dynamics'?

Article here.