The Rev. Jeffrey G. Vomund, pastor of St. Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist Catholic Church in North St. Louis, is certainly not the first white person to lead a predominately black parish. He’s not the only person doing this in the nation, and he won’t be the last.
But that doesn’t make the experience any less special for Vomund, who found himself called to pastor the city parish after serving as an associate pastor in the suburban St. Cletus Parish in St. Charles.
“ I got a call from the director of personnel for the Archdiocese. I was asked if I could make a fast move,” said Vomund, who has been ordained for 10 years.
“I met with Archbishop (Raymond Burke), and he told me he wanted me here in a couple of weeks. That was fast.”
His congregation now includes 600 families and is on of the region’s largest. Tucked in the North City neighborhood near I-70 and Shreve, the historic church’s steeple can be seen for miles.
“Everybody can see that steeple. These folks want to help everyone around it; they want to help this be a better community. They want to make a difference for the larger community,” Vomund said of the parish he now calls home.
“I have never been in a more welcoming parish.”
He said he enjoys the “warmth, spontaneity and joy of the liturgy here.”
That liturgy includes Gospel music and traditional Catholic Mass. Incense burns as contemporary music comes from the choir.
“It is hard to describe how prayerful, joyful and moving the service is,” he said.
Many of the city’s most influential black policy makers and politicians have hailed from the parish, and Vomund officiated the funeral of the famous John Bass.
“I was so nervous. What a touching ceremony,” Vomund said of the funeral and memorial service that saw the church almost filled to capacity.
“He was a great example of what makes this parish and this area so special.”
Where there were once 20 Catholic schools north of Delmar Boulevard, there are now five, including St. Louis Catholic Academy, which sits just west of St. Elizabeth.
“This school has to flourish. It is just too important to this neighborhood not to,” Vomund said.
There are 200 students in the pre-K-to-8th grade school, and it employs 15 people.
“In the past, it might not have had the resources to bring the most out of the faculty, which is so dedicated,” Vomund said.
“I’ve got to give them the resources to make the most out of education for the students and their parents.”
Former Mercy High School principal and longtime Catholic educator Joe Wiley, who is chair of the school’s board of education, called Vomund “very dynamic, very inspiring.”
“We are looking for great things while working under him,” Wiley said.
Twelve of the school’s students recently traveled to South Africa on a pilgrimage where they learned first-hand of the anti-apartheid movement and the history of that nation.
“We want our parish to foster young leaders,” Vomund said.
“It’s so easy to have narrow eyes. To see the students’ eyes enlarge and they heard from people committed to reconciliation, to fighting for education, things that we can take for granted – you cant put a price on that.”
Vomund is helping open some eyes outside the parish, too.
“Since he has been here, the number of white parishioners has increased. It is a breath of fresh air,” Wiley said.
Like Vomund, all that come to St. Elizabeth are met with open arms.
“The question that I am asked most is “Are you going to stay father? I tell them it is up to the Bishop, but I’m here to stay. This is my home.”
His home was created through the 1996 merger of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and St. Engelbert Churches. The members of the new parish were asked to select a name and they chose St. Elizabeth, which was one of the parishes that served black Catholics for many years. That parish was named for St. Elizabeth of Hungary, but since there was already a parish dedicated to that saint in the Archdiocese, St. Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist was chosen.
“This is the affirmation center of the universe,” Vomund said.
“It is so warm, so welcoming. This is a place that makes all of St. Louis better.”