in June of 2005, St. francis de Sales was closed by the Archdiocese of St. Louis. In the absence of an alternate solution, the church building was scheduled to be torn down and sold.

Tradition is not the worship of ashes,
but the preservation of fire.

Since its dedication in 1908, the fate of St. Francis de Sales Oratory closely dovetailed that of the city of St. Louis. As the city grew, so the parish grew continuously through the 1950s, adding a thriving high school to its campus in 1939. After 1950, however, the population of St. Louis steadily declined due to the outward migration towards the suburbs. Fox Park, the neighborhood of St. Francis de Sales, followed the same pattern. By 1974, the parish dissipated to the point that the St. Francis de Sales high school was forced to close for good. With decades of dwindling support, the condition of St. Francis de Sales church, and indeed the entire campus, deteriorated visibly and rapidly. 

In July 2005, an important change took place in the effort to preserve St. Francis de Sales church: it was erected as an Oratory of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, serving St. Louis as the premier center of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Since the architecture and the interior of St. Francis de Sales were originally designed for this use of the Roman Rite, the church was perfectly suited to its new mission.

With its new mission as an Oratory, the appeal of St. Francis de Sales would be extended beyond the boundaries of the original parish, and beyond any singular demographic group. For the first time, there was hope that the deserted infrastructure would slowly regain active and purposeful use. The perfect balance between usage and preservation would be an effective means of safeguarding a cultural treasure of St. Louis.

To meet the needs of the liturgy as well as the needs of the constantly growing congregation, the repair and restoration of St. Francis de Sales Oratory is a regular necessity. The church, sacristy, and campus buildings have many constant repairs that need our attention. In your charity, please consider making a regular donation to these renovation efforts so that we may continue to preserve tradition for tomorrow. Anyone inspired to rejuvenate the Oratory in a grand way is welcome to contact the Rectory office and ask to speak with Canon Coggeshall directly.