Being non-Catholic in St. Louis (St. Peters, Ballwin: home, catholic schools, university)

[JClark1]

My family is planning on relocating to the St. Louis area from Memphis in the near future. My wife and I are both Southern Baptists. We attend one of the largest Baptist churches in the country (Bellevue Baptist- 30,000 members). The feeling that i'm getting from reading these threads is that St. Louis is essentially a Catholic version of the Bible Belt. It seems like everyone sends their kids to Catholic schools and most of the community life revolves around Catholic church/school functions. I cannot count how many times i've read the word "Catholic" on the St. Louis threads. Now I have no problem with Catholics, it's just that I don't want my family (and especially my kids) to feel alienated because they're not Catholic. It's going to be a huge culture shock. The Baptist influence on Memphis looks like it doesn't even compare to the Catholic influence on St. Louis.

[northbayeric]

I would think you'll be just fine. I was born and raised in the St. Louis area, and moved to northern CA in the mid-1980s. I'm a Catholic. I don't know to what extent there are Southern Baptist churches in the St. Louis metro area, but if you're near a larger public library, it will probably have a St. Louis phone book and you can look in the Yellow Pages under "Churches."

St. Louis is really blessed to have Raymond Burke as its Catholic archbishop. Moreover, the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church has its headquarters in Kirkwood, a larger suburb in SW St. Louis County. Christian TV evangelist Joyce Meyer has her international headquarters in Fenton (my favorite area around St. Louis). She has her annual Women's Convention every September at the Edward Jones Dome in downtown St. Louis. So this information is to assure you that you and your family are going to do just fine and should enjoy St. Louis, I would think. Much of southern Missouri is predominantly Baptist.

It's not really that far up I-55 from Memphis. Try to spend a couple of days visiting the St. Louis area beforehand if you can. There are so many great family-oriented, wholesome things to do around there that it's hard to know where to begin. So fear not--as we are commanded to do in practically every book in the Bible!

[aragx6]

There are a lot of Catholics in St. Louis to be sure, but growing up I knew baptists, agnostics, Jehovah's Witnesses and everything in between.

The reason you hear so much about Catholicism on these boards is because there are so many Catholic prep schools in the area. At them, your children would probably feel out of place in religion classes and at mass. But in a public school (of which there are many great ones) I would be shocked if it were ever an issue.

There are many Baptist churches in the area (not sure how they differ, if at all, from Southern Baptists) though they will be smaller than your congregation now. Probably more in the few hundred to maybe a thousand range.

Hope that helps!

[goat314]

St. Louis is favors Northern cities culturally, politically, racially, etc. It really is a complete different culture than a Memphis or Nashville, most people you meet will be of Irish and German descent and probably Catholic, or they will be Jewish. The only baptist I have really met in St. Louis are Black (which is a very large community like Memphis), but St. Louis is definitely large enough that you will not feel like the only Baptist in town. I dont know about Southern Baptist, but you will definitely find Baptist.

[TGS]

St. Louis will be fine for you. The Catholic priests aren't roaming the streets enforcing Catholic law or anything. The reason you hear so much about the St. Louis Catholics is that their parishes tend to have their own schools, of which most are very sound academically. In St. Louis City itself, they are also much safer than the public schools. The Catholic high schools are numerous, and draw a lot of non-Catholic students due to their excellent reputations. Therefore, when a discussion comes up regarding schools, usually the Catholic schools are discussed.

Other than the schools, you probably wouldn't hear much about Catholics in St. Louis. The area is pretty mixed. There are Protestants of all types, atheists, and my direct neighbors are indeed Baptists. There is also a Baptist school near us. My child has friends that attend the school and it is pretty good. A kid from that school plays on my daughter's Catholic school sports teams. There are also Lutheran schools in our area, and some of their students will play on the Catholic teams if their school doesn't have enough to make their own team. I have NEVER EVER EVER EVER heard a kid on the Catholic team say anything bad about the Lutheran and Baptist kids, much less anything based on religion. There are non-Catholics at my kids Catholic school. You couldn't figure out who they are by the way they are treated.

If you send your kids to public school, it will almost certainly be a non-issue. There is a huge variety of religions in the area, including Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Judaism, especially in the West County area. There are also plenty of Baptist and Christian non-denominational schools in the St. Louis area if you would like them to have a religion-based education.

St. Louis is a great place to raise a family. There are so many family-centered activities that have nothing to do with religion. A friend of mine moved her family to St. Louis from Memphis a few years back, and the culture shock for their family appeared minimal. Most Catholics really could care less if you are Southern Baptist, unless you try to tell them not to drink at a parish festival. That could get ugly!!!!!

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by TGS

Most Catholics really could care less if you are Southern Baptist, unless you try to tell them not to drink at a parish festival. That could get ugly!!!!!

So true...

[btoverdrive]

You do not say in your post the area in St Louis where you would like to live. We lived in Ballwin, are Catholic, and our neighbors across the street were Baptists. We were and are still the best of friends, even though we now live in Omaha and our neighbors are in Atlanta. They attended Ellisville Baptist Church and we went to several events there to see our neighbor sing or see their kids in plays, etc, and were always made to feel very welcome. They also went with us to Holy Infant functions and had a blast with us. Also, if you move to the Ballwin or Ellisville area, you will have your choice of Parkway or Rockwood public schools, which are two of the best in the state.

Don't worry about us Catholics. Move there and enjoy yourself and to each their own. You will find it very easy to make friends, regardless of your religion or lack of one.

[tcdain]

I just googled Southern Baptist + St. Louis and recieved more hits than I thought I would. Here are the top 3 hits....

All Saints Southern Baptist
4260 W Page Blvd, St Louis
(314) 531-2094

Gateway Southern Baptist
4011 Tholozan Ave, St Louis
(314) 773-8233

Southern Union Baptist
2701 Cole St, St Louis
(314) 531-6269

Those are just the top three. I believe that you should call some churches and get their opinion and congregation size before deciding where exactly to look for housing.

I can tell you that on the IL side of the river where I live in Edwardsville there is a baptist community. Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville has a program in coop. with a local church. Here is a link Baptist Student Ministries of SIU Edwardsville - Welcome!

We also have about three local (smaller) flocks if that is the correct termination. I hope this helps some in your search.

[binxnotis]

I am Catholic and grew up in St. Louis. After we first married, my husband and I lived in Cordova. I have visited Bellevue and had friends who were members. A few years ago, we moved relocated to southern Missouri and are now back in the St.Louis area.

As far as religious diversity, St.Louis has a larger Catholic population than Memphis but is overall much more diverse than Memphis (in my opinion). There are many southern Baptist churches here and I think your children will be just fine.

If you are looking for something similar to Bellevue, I would recommend Grace church. It isn't Baptist (it's non-denominational). However, it's a large, involved church community with a lot of opportunities for participation and very family-oriented. I believe they also have a school. My grandparents left their southern Baptist church and now attend Grace.
Grace Church-Saint Louis Home Page

We now live in St. Peters which reminds me a lot of cordova (minus Shelby Farms, Corky's, Alexander's, the Commissary). We miss Memphis but love St.Louis--and it's an easy drive for a weekend visit!

Good luck!

[stlsteved]

You will be fine.