What is an Oratory?
The use of the term oratory, according to the norms of the Church, “describes a place for divine worship designated by permission of the ordinary for the benefit of some community or group of the faithful who gather in it” and often times does not have actual territorial boundaries. An oratory like a parish church is a sacred place set aside for worship. However, unlike a parish, an oratory makes up its membership from outside the geographical boundaries that are used to designate a parish. Concretely, this means that members of the Oratory of SS. Gregory and Augustine come from all parts of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis and because of their relationship with the celebration of the Extraordinary Form are allowed to be members even though they don’t live in the area.
About The Oratory of Ss. Gregory & Augustine:
The Oratory of Ss. Gregory & Augustine was canonically established on the First Sunday of Advent, 2 December 2007, by His Grace, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, then Archbishop of St. Louis. It is a non-territorial parish of the Archdiocese of St. Louis that celebrates all the Church’s Sacraments in their extraordinary form for the pastoral good of the faithful according to the 1962 Missale Romanum.
In establishing the Oratory, Archbishop Burke wished that Holy Mass would be celebrated with the greatest possible dignity and that at the same time the faithful would receive sound pastoral care. He wrote, “Given the longstanding devotion of the Order of St. Benedict to the cultivation of the Sacred Liturgy, I see the offering of the regular celebration of the Rite of Mass found in the Missale Romanum of Blessed John XXIII to be a fitting work of your community.”
Saint Luke’s Catholic Church has allowed the Oratory to reside in the rectory next door to the church.
Finding the Oratory of Ss Gregory & Augustine:
The oratory is located in the Saint Louis suburb of Richmond Heights, next door to Saint Luke’s Catholic Church.
Address: 7230 Dale Ave, Richmond Heights, MO 63117
Tel: +1 (314) 606-246
