Mission

The Rural Parish Clinic of the Archdiocese of St. Louis extends the mercy of Jesus Christ to those who come to us in need by providing the highest quality, compassionate care rooted in the Roman Catholic Church. Drawing from the legacy of the Rural Parish Workers of Christ the King, the Rural Parish Clinic seeks to meet the medical, dental, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of uninsured residents regardless of faith in rural Missouri.

Impact

The Rural Parish Clinic mobile medical and mobile dental units serve rural uninsured residents aged 19-65 who meet income guidelines of less than 200% federal poverty level. We target the working poor—those who cannot afford insurance premiums or are laborers that are not offered healthcare in their work or are self-employed. Rural areas have significantly less options for free or reduced cost health and dental care.

History

The Rural Parish Workers of Christ the King have a storied history, dating back to the 1940s when a group of vowed laywomen united to provide food, clothing, shelter, utility assistance, and spread the word of God to their rural Missouri neighbors. Inspired by their legacy, Archbishop Robert J. Carlson founded the Rural Parish Clinic (RPC)to bring free, high-quality medical and dental care to underserved rural communities. Launched in 2019 with a mobile medical clinic and expanded in 2021 with a mobile dental clinic, RPC now serves six rural counties in the Archdiocese of St. Louis with the goal to expand to more.

Over the last six years, the Rural Parish Clinic has provided more than 3,500 patient visits for individuals who do not have access to insurance or resources and would otherwise go without.

Values

Grounded in Catholic faith, staff and volunteers alike serve with mercy, dignity, and justice,living out the teachings of Jesus Christ to care for “the least of these” (Matthew 25:39). But the clinic is not just about medical and dental care; it is about connecting with people on a deeper level, meeting them where they are, and, like the Rural Parish Workers, offering the loving hand of Jesus in a tangible way.