Abp. McKnight thanks God for the people of this diocese

I relish the opportunity to give God thanks for the blessing of his providential care and guidance of me. And I am happy to be given this opportunity to express thanks to you, the clergy and lay faithful.”

Archbishop Shawn McKnight

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In procession, Father Stephen Jones solemnly removed Archbishop Shawn McKnight’s Coat of Arms from above the bishop’s chair in the Cathedral of St. Joseph.

The chair and the place where the Coat of Arms hung will remain empty until a new bishop of Jefferson City is installed, at a time now known only to God.

“As I leave the Diocese of Jefferson City, I ask that you continue to work together in this time of transition, in the words of St. Paul, with ‘heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another,’” said Archbishop McKnight, who was installed as archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas on May 27.

He served for seven years and three months as head of the Jefferson City diocese.

“You will always be in my heart, in my thoughts and in my prayers,” Archbishop McKnight stated in his homily during a Mass of Thanksgiving May 20 in the Cathedral.

“We were better together!” he declared, echoing one of his favorite phrases. “May your next bishop find a willing flock to follow the call of the Lord to be united in heart and mind in what we believe, in how we pray, and in the practice of charity.”

Archbishop McKnight then repeated the words, taken from the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer, that he chose to be his motto when he became a bishop in 2018: “Let us give thanks to the Lord!”

Staying on course

Archbishop McKnight was appointed to serve as head of the Kansas City archdiocese in his home state of Kansas on April 8.

He has been working with his advisors and staff here to ensure the orderly function of the Jefferson City diocese after he leaves.

In keeping with canon law, the diocese’s College of Consultors will elect a temporary diocesan administrator shortly after Archbishop McKnight’s installment in Kansas City.

The administrator will have authority to ensure that the work of the Church is carried out effectively until a new bishop arrives.

“The general principle is: ‘sede vacante, nihil innovetur’ – that is, ‘while the see is vacant, no innovation,’” stated Benjamin Roodhouse JD, JCL, diocesan chancellor and director of canonical services.

“For us, that means orderly operations of the diocese, nothing new that changes our course or direction,” he said.

The terms of office for the vicars who were appointed by Archbishop McKnight ends as he takes up his new assignment.

The diocesan pastoral and presbyteral councils will also be dissolved and will have to be reestablished by the new bishop.

Decisions on major initiatives or issues will be left to Archbishop McKnight’s successor.

“Basically, we’ll be in somewhat of a holding pattern,” said Mr. Roodhouse. “We need to keep the ship sailing while waiting for the new captain.”

Hope and thanksgiving

Many priests of the diocese concelebrated Archbishop McKnight’s Mass of Thanksgiving.

The Ceremonial of Bishops states that whenever a bishop is transferred to another assignment, he should gather the clergy and the faithful of the diocese he is departing for an appropriate liturgical service.

“In this way, he can ‘bid them farewell and with them give thanks for the blessings received from God during his episcopate,’” said Archbishop McKnight in his homily.

“I relish the opportunity to give God thanks for the blessing of his providential care and guidance of me,” the archbishop stated. “And I am happy to be given this opportunity to express thanks to you, the clergy and lay faithful.”

The readings, hymns and prayers for the bilingual Mass were thoroughly saturated in messages of unity and gratitude.

Colorful beams of late-afternoon sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows onto the priests and people.

Archbishop McKnight’s bishop’s ring collected sunlight as he gestured emphatically while preaching.

He pointed out that the past month has been an extraordinary time for the Church, with the death of Pope Francis and the election of the first U.S.-born pope, Leo XIV.

“We do have much to be thankful for, much that can strengthen our sense of hope for the future of the Church during this great Jubilee Year,” said Archbishop McKnight.

In keeping with what Pope Leo preached at his own Installation Mass in St. Peter’s Square on May 18, the archbishop called upon everyone in this diocese to remain unified in charity.

“When we are at peace and when our hearts are full of gratitude, it is not difficult to control our hearts such that our communion with the one Body of Christ, the Church, is assured,” he said.

He heartfully thanked the priests of this diocese, especially all those who accepted his call to serve in other parishes, go into studies or return from service abroad.

“I am so grateful to you priests who have listened to my judgment and answered the call with faith, hope and charity, only as a priest could,” he said.

The archbishop thanked his vicar general, his vicar for priests and all the other vicars who served during his time here as bishop.

He likewise thanked the deans and the members of the diocesan Presbyteral Council “for your leadership and assisting me with carrying out the vision of Pope Francis for a more missionary Church, a Church experienced as a center of charity and sanctuary of mercy, one that invites the participation of a greater number of people in the life and mission of the whole Church.”

He thanked the members of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, the deacons and the laity, including the Chancery staff, members of his cabinet, directors and other workers who helped him carry out his mission as bishop.

“As I look back on all the efforts we made in teaching, sanctifying and shepherding the Church in the life of charity, I pray that the efforts of our Catholic Charities and other institutions devoted to the service of the poor and those in need remain front and center in our lives as Catholics,” he said.

He urged the faithful to continue supporting their Catholic schools and parish religious education programs for teaching the faith to young people.

“You will always be in my heart, in my thoughts and in my prayers, as I was ordained a bishop to serve you,” he said.

Deacon Enrique Castro, diocesan executive director of Evangelization & Faith Formation, who also assists the pastor of St. Peter Parish in Jefferson City; and Deacon John Schwartze, diocesan director  of Deacon Formation, who assists at the Cathedral parish, assisted.

Erick Chinchilla, diocesan assistant director of Pastoral Ministry; and Sister Kathleen Wegman of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, diocesan liaison for religious, former diocesan chancellor and former interim director of Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, proclaimed the readings.

The diocesan choir, conducted by Andrew Meagher and accompanied by organist Annette Kehner with cantor Katherine Meagher and guitarist Laura Forbis-St. Clair, led the singing.

Archbishop McKnight said he had experienced many blessings and witnessed many wonders in his time here as bishop.

He pointed out that the Eucharist itself is Jesus’s own thanksgiving to the Father.

“And because of God’s grace, we’re able to enter into his Sacred Heart whenever we celebrate the Mass, when we give thanks for the many blessings bestowed upon us,” said Archbishop McKnight.

Close to the heart

Monsignor Robert A. Kurwicki, who served as vicar general under Archbishop Mc­Knight, presented him a gift from the people of the diocese.

It’s a pectoral cross for him to wear as a symbol of his role as an archbishop. It includes images of the four Evangelists, as well as images of the Fleur de Lis, a beloved symbol of the Holy Trinity that is associated with St. Augustine and St. Louis of France.

“When you wear it, we hope that you’ll think of us and pray for us and know of our prayers, love and support,” said Msgr. Kurwicki.

“We willingly surrender you to the will of the Father and to the will of the Church to do great things in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas,” Msgr. Kurwicki stated.

The people gave the archbishop a standing ovation.

Archbishop McKnight noted that a pectoral cross, along with a bishop’s ring, is something bishops are obliged to wear.

He said he would wear the new cross under his vestments during his Installation Mass in Kansas City.

“It will be near to my heart, as you always will be,” he told the people.

“When the Church asks …”

Earlier that day, Archbishop McKnight hosted a thank-you luncheon for diocesan staff members.

Msgr. Kurwicki asked for prayers for Pope Leo XIV and the people who will advise him in appointing a new bishop for this diocese.

He also requested continued prayers for Archbishop McKnight.

“You know, it’s not an easy vocation to be a bishop,” said Msgr. Kurwicki. “But, somebody has to do it, because we need bishops in order to be the Catholics we are.

“And we are grateful from our hearts for the seven years of your life that you gave to us,” he told Archbishop McKnight.

“We hope you will always keep us in your heart,” the monsignor continued. “We will keep you in our prayers, and I can guarantee you, you will never be forgotten. God will reward you, and history will be kind to you.”

Archbishop McKnight noted that when he was appointed bishop of this diocese, he knew almost nothing about the Church here and its people.

In the moments in which he decided to accept being sent here, he thought of something his spiritual director in the seminary had told him: “When the Church asks, we have to say ‘yes.’”

Such an openness allows not only bishops but also priests, religious and laypeople to approach their lives as of one being sent on mission, said Archbishop McKnight.

Looking back, he marveled at how God had used the clergy and faithful of this diocese to help him shape a clear vision for the Church, which could be carried out in each parish and diocesan institution.

He encouraged everyone to continue putting their churches and resources to best use.

“My prayer is that you all continue on,” he stated.

“Heavenly Father,” the archbishop prayed in closing, “as we gather this day, we are thankful for the many blessings you have bestowed upon us, especially in these past seven years.

“We ask you to bless those who will be involved in the discernment of a new shepherd for the Diocese of Jefferson City, that the will of the Holy Spirit might be accomplished, and that the people and clergy of the Diocese of Jefferson City will be open to their new leader and be willing to follow him,” he prayed.

Archbishop McKnight plans to return to the diocese to ordain seminarian Jacob Hartman as a transitional deacon and 13 other men as permanent deacons on June 7.