On the decree issued on May 24, 2023, Archbishop Rozanski stated that Assumption Parish would subsume St. Barnabas Parish effective August 1, 2023.

This week, the Dicastery for the Clergy notified the Archdiocese of St. Louis that they had accepted for study petitions for recourse (an appeal) against decrees related to St. Barnabas in O'Fallon. In accepting this petition, the Vatican does not reverse the archbishop’s decision, but it has agreed to review the decision at the request of the petitioner. While there have only been rumors, and no official knowledge of such an appeal until now, all financials and records from St. Barnabas have been kept segregated, and no decisions have been or will be made regarding the parish that would be difficult to reverse until the Dicastery makes the final decision.

The decision to study the acts of decrees of St. Barnabas Parish being subsumed by Assumption Parish in O'Fallon does not call into question the lawful existence of the personal parish of St. Juan Diego, which was established by a separate decree.

I will continue to keep you updated on any developments as I become aware of them.

Peace,

Fr. Nick