By Maria Hickey, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Archbishop Raymond Burke is moving forward with a censure of a St. Louis church's lay board members.
St. Stanislaus Kostka has refused to give up the church's governance and assets after more than a year of negotiations with the Archdiocese.
Last month, the archbishop warned that the church's six board members would no longer be able to take part in Catholic sacraments if they did not comply.
Archdiocese spokesman Jamie Allman says the members have continued to defy the archbishop and a Vatican directive.
"The archbishop has given them plenty, and plenty of time," Allman said. "He has been extraordinarily patient, and even as he works on imposing the interdict he constantly has his hand out for a reconciliation and of course that's what we're ultimately hoping for."
Allman says it's not clear how long the censure process will take.
St. Stanislaus spokesman Richard Bach says the board members have no intention of backing down.
"We gave them the option last week that if they were having issues with this interdict or if it was causing grave harm to their families and to them that they had the chance to walk away and everyone would understand that, so they are very brave men being very courageous dealing with the bully," Bach said.
Bach says the members will appeal the archbishop's interdict. In the meantime, he says the church continues to hold services each Sunday without Communion.
The archbishop pulled the church's two priests in July.