Two century-old Catholic churches on St. Louis’ north side are being prepared for a quiet final chapter. St. Augustine (originally St. Barbara) and St. Matthew the Apostle will be removed from regular parish worship, according to the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Formal decrees set July 13, 2026, as the date the buildings will be taken out of liturgical use. Parish life for those communities has already been folded into the St. Peter Claver parish that now serves the north side.
The moves were announced in formal decrees from the archdiocese that were published and posted in the St. Louis Review, with the closures also covered by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The decrees specifically name St. Matthew the Apostle and St. Augustine (St. Barbara) and direct that the church buildings be taken out of regular worship and readied for other potential uses. The documents say the decisions follow formal assessments of building conditions and parish resources.
Why the archdiocese says the buildings must close
In the decrees, church officials point to long-running maintenance problems and repeated vandalism as the main reasons the buildings can no longer stay in regular use. As the St. Louis Review explains it, St. Augustine "is no longer used for worship given the unsafe conditions in the nave and narthex due to roof leaks and falling plaster."
The notice for St. Matthew adds that the property "has been increasingly subject to vandalism and theft" since regular parish services moved to the consolidated north-side community. Taken together, the decrees paint a picture of two historic buildings that have become too fragile and too frequently targeted to remain active worship sites.
Where congregants will worship
The four north-side parish communities were formally combined into St. Peter Claver parish on Aug. 1, 2023. The archdiocese says the primary worship site for the merged parish is St. Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist (dedicated as St. Englebert). St. Peter Claver’s parish listing on the Archdiocese of St. Louis website shows current Mass times and contact information for parishioners who might still be sorting out where to go.
Church leaders say most services and ministries will continue at the remaining worship sites while the archdiocese works through what happens next with the buildings and properties being taken out of regular use.
Altar removal and appeals
The decrees order that altars and other sacred objects in the two churches be removed and "carefully stored," and they state that the buildings will be "reduced to profane but not sordid use," a standard canonical phrase for former worship spaces. The notices also spell out a canonical appeals process for anyone who believes they have been aggrieved by the decisions, including a specific filing window tied to a postmark deadline.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that parishioners have been directed to bring questions about artifacts, sacred items, and what comes next to parish leaders and to the archdiocese.
Part of a wider reorganization
These closures are one more step in the archdiocese’s multi-year "All Things New" restructuring, which has consolidated parishes across the city and region and fueled a string of church and school changes in recent years. Coverage by St. Louis Public Radio and other outlets has followed how the plan grouped dozens of parishes into fewer pastorates, leaving some historic church buildings exposed to years of deferred maintenance.
For now, parishioners in the affected north-side neighborhoods are being directed to St. Peter Claver for Mass and sacramental needs. The archdiocese says staff will work to preserve sacred items where possible, and both the archdiocese and St. Peter Claver’s parish page list contact details and Mass times for anyone looking for guidance during the transition.
