St. Catherine Labouré Parish Thrives on Vincentian Tradition

St. Catherine Labouré Parish on Sappington Road in south St. Louis regularly draws 2,600 worshippers to five masses every weekend, many times with standing room only.

Nestled in a tidy suburb on the south side of St. Louis, St. Catherine Labouré Parish is an enduring example of how the Vincentian tradition of service to the poor can be integrated into suburban parish life.

The parish began in the early 1950s as a response to suburban growth and the baby boom after World War II. The Archdiocese needed help serving an expanding population, and the Vincentians responded to the challenge.

Like many parishes of the time, St. Catherine’s followed a model of building a school first, then the church. A neat brick house served as the rectory for the first pastor, who held services in the basement. A few years later in 1955, the congregation built a school across the street and the gym became the first parish hall, where church services were held for many years. A separate church was built in 1975 and remains in use today.

From a modest group of 150 pari­shioners in the beginning, St. Cather­ine’s has grown to serve approximately 6,000 today. With almost 500 students enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade, it is home of one of the larger parochial schools in the diocese. The school offers a full curriculum, including music, art, athletics, and resources for students with special needs.

Although the school is a focal point, it is only one source of community for the parish. Liturgical services regularly draw 2,600 people to five masses every weekend, many times with standing room only. The youth ministry is also large, dynamic, and provides leadership for other youth ministries throughout the diocese.

The parish draws its strength from the surrounding area. Although most homes were built in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, the appeal of this middle class area remains strong. Some younger families are moving in, attracted by affordable home values. Other parishioners are the second or third generation in their families to belong.

Pastor of the church Father Jim Cormack, CM, says, “We have a good number of second- and third-generation parishioners who want to continue the tradition of faith in this community. They found ‘home’ here in a spiritual sense, and want to come back and raise their own families here.

“St. Catherine Labouré is a vibrant, growing parish. The church is well connected throughout the community, and its members are committed to an active parish life,” he says.

Fr. Cormack spent 19 years serving the people of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in St. Louis’ inner city before coming to St. Catherine Labouré in 2001. “Because of the Vincentians’ dedication to the poor, people might wonder how we accomplish this in a relatively affluent, suburban community such as ours. The parishioners value the Vincentian presence very much, and through their volunteer efforts and fiscal generosity have shown a willingness to serve the poor,” Fr. Cormack says.

That generosity surprised even him when a simple request at the beginning of Lent in 2005 ignited the congregation. Fr. Cormack and assistant pastor Father Dan Theiss, CM, received a request from Father Gary Mueller, CM, who had grown up in the parish and was serving in Kenya. Fr. Mueller was looking for a way to help a group of 24 teenagers, orphaned by AIDS, continue their high school education and thereby escape a life of poverty.

Frs. Cormack and Theiss asked parishioners to consider a financial gift to a scholarship fund as part of their Lenten observance of sacrifice. He hoped to sponsor all the youth for one year. The congregation answered by raising $34,000 – enough to send all 24 children to school for four years. For many parishioners, the experience was transformative.

“Education is very near to our parishioners’ hearts. They really connected with these young
men and their plight. Through their generosity, they made a very real and powerful difference in the lives of these young men,” Fr. Cormack says.

This experience led to a recent effort by St. Catherine Labouré students to buy “a house and a cow” for needy families in Kenya. For St. Catherine Labouré parishioners, the opportunities to work with the poor are many and long-standing.

There is a formal relationship with St. Vincent de Paul Parish in south St. Louis to share funds and volunteers. Parishioners also are active with the Guardian Angel Settlement and Hosea House. Working with the East Side Heart and Home organization, they recently built a house in East St. Louis. A food pantry operation is filling an increasing local need, and seasonal programs provide meals, gifts, and services for the needy near and far.

St. Catherine Labouré has flourished in the Vincentian tradition and is preparing for further growth. Later this year, the parish hopes to start a series of capital improvements, beginning with the first major renovation of the church since
it was built. Among other goals, the church hopes to eliminate the standing-room-only problem by adding 120 seats to the nave.

Next will come school enhancements, including new classrooms and transformation of the administrative offices. There will also be a new playground, named after Father Raymond Ross, CM, who served the parish for many years and captured the hearts of students as a generous purveyor of Tootsie Rolls.

Amid the changes, one thing that won’t change is the close connection between the school and the church, and between the parishioners and
the mission of the Vincentians. Fr. Cormack says, “As Vincentians, we have the opportunity to not “just” be parish priests – we can bring the Vincentian tradition to the parish work we do, and connect others to the message of St. Vincent de Paul.”

Capital improvements throughout the parish to begin later this year include a dramatic renovation of the church inside and out. Stained glass windows will be added behind the sanctuary and 120 new seats in the nave will eliminate the standing-room-only problem during masses.