In 1956, Archbishop Joseph E. Cardinal Ritter of St. Louis, responding to a letter from Archbishop Abel Antezana y Rojas of La Paz, Bolivia, agreed to send diocesan priests from St. Louis to Bolivia to cover the shortage of Catholic priests there. The Archdiocese of Saint Louis thus became the first American diocese to establish an international mission, something that had previously been relegated to religious orders. Three diocesan priests were sent to serve at Cristo Rey Parish in La Paz, celebrating the first Mass outdoors in a concrete shed. In ten years, the diocesan mission to South America grew to five parishes: four in Bolivia and one in Chile.
The Archdiocese of Saint Louis Mission Office Records illustrate the cross-cultural experiences of many White American diocesan priests in South America through correspondence and photographs. St. Louis priests set up a second mission in 1959 in San Agustín in Viacha, an area consisting of around 50 rural communities of indigenous Aymara people. The parish offered catechetical instruction in both Spanish and Amayra languages. In addition, the parish organized a clinic with a dispensary, parish school, sewing school, credit union, youth recreation center, and Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
In 1980, Bolivia experienced a brutal coup d’etat, during which the military government imprisoned, tortured, and interrogated many Catholic priests, nuns, and pastoral workers. Insights into the experiences of Catholic missionaries are found among the archival records including reports from St. Louisan Father David Ratermann on his imprisonment and how the military rule effected his community. Despite the offer to evacuate, none of the diocesan priests left their communities – a testament to their deep connection with the people they served. In fact, Father Ratermann spent over forty years working in Bolivia.
The St. Louis priests became so integral to the Church in Bolivia that they also served in the hierarchy of the Archdiocese of La Paz. Gradually, the Archdiocese of St. Louis transferred parishes back to the dioceses. In 2021, Maria Reina Parish was transferred to the Archdiocese of La Paz, officially ending St. Louis’s Mission to Bolivia. Around 45 priests served in Bolivia during the mission’s 64 years of existence. The Mission Office continues its relationship with the Archdiocese of La Paz mainly through financial support.
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Contact
Rena Schergen, MSLIS, CA
Archivist
Archdiocese of Saint Louis Archives
20 Archbishop May Drive
St. Louis, MO 63119
314.792.7026
[email protected]
[email protected]
Website: archstl.org/archives