The Bicentennial Jubilee Year for the Archdiocese of St. Louis opened on Jan. 1 with parishes ringing their church bells at 10 a.m., and continues through Dec. 31. Masses were celebrated in each of the six deaneries earlier this year, and parishes and schools were invited to mark the anniversary within their communities.
In 1826, Pope Leo XII established the Diocese of St. Louis and entrusted Bishop Joseph Rosati with a vast mission territory that extended from the Louisiana border to the Rocky Mountains. Twenty-one years later, Pope Pius IX elevated the diocese to archdiocese status.
“We are heirs to this missionary legacy,” Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said in his announcement of the Bicentennial Jubilee Year. “Our parishes, schools, charitable ministries, religious communities and lay leaders all bear witness to the enduring light of Christ passed down through generations. Now, in our own time, we are called to carry that light forward with courage, joy and faith.”
An archdiocesan-wide Mass for the bicentennial will be celebrated on July 18 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.
You can read more about the rich history of the Archdiocese of St. Louis at the St. Louis Review.