Archbishop clarifies St. Stanislaus situation

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I write to you, once again, about St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, our historic personal parish for the faithful of Polish descent, and the issue of its control by a board which, in the last few years, has completely removed itself from the authority of the Catholic Church. I regret that my request and that of my predecessor, Cardinal Justin Rigali, that the parish conform to the Catholic Church’s requirements relating to the authority of the diocesan bishop and the pastor has been met with adamant resistance, even to the point of defiance. I also deeply regret that the board, having asked the intervention of the Holy See in the matter and having received the direction to comply with Church discipline, is now adamant in its resistance to the direction of the Holy See.

I further regret that the resistance of the board has, at present, divided the parishioners and the community between those who resist the requested changes and those who support them. It is my fervent desire that the matter be amicably resolved, so that the parish may again be united at its home in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.

Because much misinformation has appeared in the public media, I am now writing to all the faithful in the Archdiocese and am including, with my letter, the accompanying questions and answers, as well as other pertinent information. You need to know and have the right to know that I have no desire to take the assets of the parish or to close the parish, contrary to what has been repeatedly said by members of the board of directors of the parish corporation and some other parishioners. Such statements are simply and completely untrue.

To allay the fears of the board of directors and some other parishioners, I and those assisting me have listened to each of the concerns expressed. In January 2005, I approved for presentation to the board a proposal which completely addressed each and every concern which had been expressed. I had the proposal drawn up in such a way that the commitment to use the parish property and assets only for the parish and the Catholic faithful of Polish descent would be permanent and legally enforceable in civil law.

The information which accompanies this letter in its publication in the St. Louis Review details what I have written above. For the full documentation of the proposal made to the board of directors in January 2005, I refer you to the Archdiocesan Web site, www.archstl.org.

Please continue to pray with me, through the intercession of Our Lady of Czestochowa and St. Stanislaus Kostka, for the reconciliation of the conflict between the board of directors of the civil corporation of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish and the archdiocesan and universal Church.

Asking God’s blessing upon you and your homes, I am

Yours devotedly in Christ,
(Most Rev.) Raymond L. Burke
Archbishop of St. Louis

Key documents regarding St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish are provided here for all persons who may wish to research or inform themselves more thoroughly of the history of the parish and its civil corporation, from its inception to the present day.