On this, the 100th anniversary of St. Francis de Sales, the campaign to restore this historic landmark to its full glory has been announced. A new Web site, TraditionForTomorrow.com, has also been launched to give information and news about the restoration, and includes a blog to record the restoration project.
St. Francis de Sales, built at the turn of the last century, is known to locals as "the Cathedral of South St. Louis" because of its elegantly-designed exterior and 300-foot spire. In July, 2005, the church building and campus were given to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to maintain and administer the sacraments according to the Missal of 1962. The Archbishop of St. Louis, His Grace, the Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke erected the church as an Oratory of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Today, St. Francis de Sales Oratory serves the whole archdiocese of St. Louis and is the center of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.