Ornate Catholic church was on the brink of closing... until priest came up with extraordinary old-fashioned idea that made attendance boom

By NATASHA ANDERSON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:28, 6 July 2026 | Updated: 18:48, 6 July 2026 An ornate Catholic church was on the brink of closure but now sees hundreds of faithful flock to its pews for Mass each week thanks to a priest's extraordinary idea. St Francis de Sales Oratory was founded in 1867 by a group of German immigrants who settled in St Louis, Missouri. The gorgeous cathedral became a landmark in the midwestern city and for decades served parishioners of more than a dozen nationalities. But as families started moving out to the suburbs, the church, dubbed the Cathedral of south St Louis, saw a massive drop in parishioners, the church website states. St Francis de Sales was closed by the Archdiocese of St Louis in June 2005, and the church was forced to merge with another local parish. The cathedral was scheduled to be torn down and sold, but was saved that July when Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke made the church an Oratory where Mass is strictly administered in Latin. St Francis de Sales is now one of about 450 churches across the country that regularly celebrate the traditional Latin Mass and is seemingly booming. A typical Sunday will see more than 700 people fill the pews of the cathedral to partake in a nearly two-hour long service where almost no English is spoken, according to the St Louis Post-Dispatch.  St Francis de Sales Oratory in St Louis, Missouri is one of roughly 450 Catholic churches in the US that celebrates the traditional Latin Mass A typical Sunday will see more than 700 people fill the pews of the cathedral to partake in a nearly two-hour long service where almost no English is spoken The choir leads Gregorian chants, the priest faces the altar as he performs the liturgy and communion is distributed at a rail The priest delivers the homily, or sermon, in English, but the rest of the Mass resembles a traditional ancient service. The choir leads Gregorian chants, the priest faces the altar as he performs the liturgy and communion is distributed at a rail. The congregation typically sits in silence and female parishioners often wear veils as a symbol of reverence. St Francis does not have air conditioning and gets stuffy in summer - but even that does not deter worshippers, who cool themselves down with fans instead. Membership at the church has tripled in the last six years, with the majority of parishioners being young families and Gen Z adults.  Parishioners interviewed by the newspaper said that worshipping in Latin has helped them become more connected to their faith.  'When everything was in English, I never had to think twice about what was going on,' 23-year-old parishioner Natalie Spain told the Post-Dispatch.  She claims the 'mystery' of Latin service forced her to be more reverent. 'A lot of us are hungry for something that feels older and more solid,' echoed Philomena Wallace, 26. 'You have a way of worship that extends past the language. The meanings are not changing.' Membership at the 159-year-old church has tripled in the last six years, with the majority of parishioners being young families and Gen Z adults St Francis de Sales was scheduled to be torn down and sold in 2005, Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke saved the cathedral by erecting it as an Oratory where Mass is strictly administered in Latin St Francis de Sales, however, also appeals to Gen X, with one 49-year-old parishioner saying the service was like nothing he'd ever experienced before. He and his wife, who first visited the church 14 years ago while on vacation from Florida, said it is the best place for 'spiritual nourishment.' The couple ultimately bought a house in nearby St Francois County and relocated to Missouri with their three young sons. Rising membership at St Francis de Sales mirrors a global trend in which Catholicism is seeing a resurgence amongst Gen Z. Older adults make up the majority of Mass-goers, but data collected by the Barna Group last year found that Gen Z frequent services more regularly.  Harvard University’s Cooperative Election Study also showed that the number of Gen Z Americans who identify as Catholic increased from 15 percent in 2022 to 21 percent the following year. Several Catholic churches have gone viral on social media after receiving praise from so-called Catholic influencers. St Joseph's Church in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood was even dubbed one of NYC's Hottest New Clubs after it emerged that queues of more than 100 people wait outside the parish ahead of Sunday service.