Fr. Marek Bozek, pastor at St. Stanislaus Kostka parish in St. Louis, has been notified by the Vatican that he has been "laicized" for his efforts to keep the parish lay-led and inclusive to those normally marginalized by the church.

Call To Action's JustChurch campaign leader in St. Louis, Megan Heeney of the CTA-affiliated Catholic Action Network, invites all Call To Action members and other supporters who live within driving distance to worship with St. Stanislaus on Sunday, March 15th to show your support for Marek and this inclusive Catholic community. The parish is located at:

413 North 20th Street

Saint Louis, Missouri 63106

Mass Times:

9AM English Language

11AM Polish Language

If you do not live near St. Louis, please say a prayer for St. Stanislaus this Sunday, asking God to be with them as they continue to grow and bear witness to the gospel message of equality and inclusion. Call To Action is grateful for communities like St. Stanislaus who stand up for lay leadership and inclusion and wish them many blessings in the days ahead.

Recently, the JustChurch campaign in St. Louis, spearheaded by CTA's chapter affiliate Catholic Action Network, asked to put an ad in the local archdiocesan newspaper. The ad discussed the need for justice in the church, particularly for Sr. Louise Lears who was recently "disciplined" after the archdiocese videotaped her at a women's ordination ceremony. The temporary bishop, Robert Hermann, rejected the ad and then wrote a column in the archdiocesan paper about the need for obedience. Bishop Herman seems not to know that the Catholics asking for justice in the ad are obedient both to their conscience and to the call of the gospel to seek justice.

Send a letter to the editor in response to Bishop Hermann's column and let him know that Catholics across the country in the church reform movement are obeying the call of the gospel. Catholic Action Network asks that you send them a copy of your letter to the editor. Send it to: can@catholicactionnetwork.org.

To see a copy of the ad that was rejected, click here.

To read the bishop's column on obedience, click here.

To download the press release sent by Catholic Action Network, click here. (PDF)

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." On this day of Ash Wednesday, we hear these words calling us to turn our lives toward God in prayer and deed this Lent. Yesterday, more than 250 people in St. Louis and thousands of Catholics like you across the United States started Lent a day early. You turned to God in prayer, standing with Fr. Bozek and his support of women's equality in the church. Thanks for all who participated in prayer during Fr. Bozek's meeting with Archbishop Burke.

Archbishop Burke did not agree to the reconciliation offer that Fr. Bozek shared with him. Now, another meeting has been set for March 5 in which contents of a file that the archdiocese has kept on Fr. Bozek will be shared with him. You can send a letter of support for Fr. Bozek for the file by mailing it to:

Archbishop Burke

c/o The Catholic Center

4445 Lindell Boulevard

St. Louis, MO 63108

Or you may write a letter of support for Fr. Bozek to the local newspaper at: letters@post-dispatch.com.

In the meantime, during this Lenten season, may we all continue to turn toward God in prayer for a peaceful resolution in St. Louis and for justice for all who are marginalized in our church today.

The Catholics in St. Louis take seriously the gospel message of justice, whether it is reaching out to women or building relationships with people of other faiths. Unfortunately, Archbishop Burke of St. Louis doesn't agree. Fr. Marek Bozek attended the ordination of two women in November and is now being called before Burke for a disciplinary hearing. Fr. Peter Phan, an internationally-known scholar on interfaith dialogue, had his talk at Aquinas Institute of Theology cancelled.

The Catholic Action Network in St. Louis and the Fellowship of Southern Illinois Laity, two CTA-affiliates, are supporting these priests of courage and you can, too. Fr. Bozek has invited his supporters to pray for the Archbishop and himself during the hearing on Tuesday, February 5th at 8:50 am at the Archdiocesan Court at the Catholic Center located at 4445 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis. Catholics across the country are invited to pray with them at that time.

Fr. Peter Phan's talk has been re-scheduled so that Catholics and others in St. Louis may still engage with the topic of interfaith dialogue. If you live in the St. Louis area you are invited to join him at St. Louis Community College—Forest Park in the Highlander Lounge of the Student Center, located at 5600 Oakland, St. Louis.

For more information, visit the Catholic Action Network website.

Polish Parish Community Asserts its Right to Exist. At St. Stanislaus Kostka Polish parish, Archbishop Raymond Burke has tried for two years to take control of parish property which a 19th century archbishop deeded to a parish-run corporation with a lay board of trustees. During 2005 Burke forbade priests from serving the parish, and banned the six trustees form the sacraments. But by Christmas the parishioners had hired their own priest—Polish-born Mark Bozek,31—who left his Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO, diocese without permission because he felt called: "This is why I came to the U.S. in the first place, to help people with no priest."

Burke promptly excommunicated both Bozek and the parish board, threatening the people with mortal sin if they went to Bozek's "valid but illicit" first Mass on Christmas eve. Nearly 2,000 people showed up anyway, some from the East and West Coasts, many wearing large red buttons reading "Save St. Stanislaus." Overflow crowds attended the Mass on closed circuit TV in the parish center.

Since Bozek arrived, parishioners are busy being a Catholic parish with increases in attendance, religious education and social justice action. The parish has appealed to the Vatican to get the excommunications and the suppression of the parish reversed. Meanwhile, many expect Burke to file a civil lawsuit to gain control of the parish and its $9.5 million assets. Additionally, after so many bishops have come forward supporting immigrants, Archbishop Burke is trying to have Fr. Bozek deported.

For more information check out http://www.stanislauskostka.com. To send a note of support or to join this vibrant parish, contact Lena Woltering at 618-830-0243, or fosilize@aol.com.