‘Joyous occasion’: New archbishop for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas welcomed in
LEAWOOD, Kan. -- The fifth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is in place.
Archbishop Shawn McKnight, who is from Wichita, is eager and excited to be back serving in his home state of Kansas.
He replaces the retiring Archbishop Joseph Naumann after 20 years.
"My priority is getting to know the Archdiocese, the priests, the parishes, the various education centers, institutions that we have, catholic charities, and others that are serving the poor and other dimensions of our mission as a church,” he shared with FOX4 Tuesday. “Following that, I will probably want to initiate some kind of process where we will listen to the people and the clergy about what their hopes and what their fears are for the Church and her future here in northeast Kansas."
Tuesday, at Church of the Nativity in Leawood, his Mass of Installation was held. Nearly 1,500 attendees, from the metro and beyond, gathered for the ceremony.
McKnight was appointed to this role in early April of this year and was one of the final U.S. bishops named by Pope Francis.
“I look to encourage the lay faithful and the clergy to develop a stronger sense of belonging to the church and stronger sense of communion and a sense mutual respect for the differing roles we all have,” he said.
Father John Reilly, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas says representative from all 107 parishes were in attendance for the event, as well as interfaith leaders, McKnight’s family and friends, as well as guests and priests from Jefferson City and Wichita.
There were also three cardinals in town for the event.
McKnight comes to the metro from Jefferson City, where he served as bishop since 2018.
The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas encompasses 12,500 square miles in the northeast quarter of Kansas and serves over 120,000 Catholics in 21 counties.