In the past seven years, St. Margaret of Scotland Church has grown by almost two hundred families. With more than 800 households and close to 500 children in our full-time school, this rapid development caught the attention of the demographers in the Archdiocesan Office of Pastoral Planning. Looking at our statistics, they reported to us that of the 171 territorial parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, St. Margaret of Scotland ranks first in the combined category of parish attractiveness and retention.
To explain “parish attractiveness,” St. Margaret has been increasing the percentage of parishioners from outside its boundaries. In 2008, 39% of our parishioners came from outside the boundaries. Today it is 49%. And “parish retention” is about holding on to registered families. In this regard, St. Margaret is one of the very few parishes in the Archdiocese that is increasing the percentage of Catholics living in our boundaries that are “retained” as parishioners – from 53% in 2008 to 61% in 2017.
What do all these figures indicate? To me, they prove that more and more people are finding a good spiritual home at St. Margaret of Scotland and have a desire to remain connected. I hope this is your experience of our faith community where “we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and action.” I invite you to explore our website and make a choice to get more involved in our growing, vibrant parish!
Yours in Christ,
Reverend Matthew O’Toole
Pastor