Southern District of St. Arnold

History

We accepted our first parish in Missouri in 1926. Located in North St. Louis, we have provided pastoral and social care for the economically disenfranchised in the area for more than eight decades. In the new millennium our role in the middle of the United States grew in leaps and bounds. In 2002, we assumed more responsibilities in Memphis, Tenn., where one of our own Divine Word Missionaries is bishop.

In accordance with our mission, we minister to people in the inner cities and promote understanding between people of differing cultures. We work in five parishes, two schools and minister in Vietnamese, Hispanic, Korean, Polish, English, and African American communities. One of our confreres is a hospital chaplain; another is a prison chaplain and a third is the director of Multicultural Ministries for the Diocese of Memphis.

Personnel

One brother, 15 priests and one bishop reside and work in this district. The eldest was born in 1927, and the youngest in 1973. They hail from China, India, Liberia, Mexico, Poland, the United States and Vietnam.

Primary Ministries

Memphis — Church of the Ascension, Sacred Heart, St. John, St. Joseph, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Peter Villa and St. Peter Manor, and other ministries
St. Louis — St. Nicholas and Resurrection of Our Lord, as well as Mount Grace Convent