For new bishop, gratitude is key to answering God’s call

Bishop-elect W. Shawn McKnight will receive the fullness of Holy Orders on Feb. 6 when he is ordained the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Jefferson City.

“It’s a deepening of the call I received at baptism, which I have been answering as a priest for the past 23 years,” he said.

He noted that God offers Christian a unique manifestation of that call.

“And that’s a good thing!” he said. “And like everyone else’s call, responding to it begins with a relationship with Jesus and a profound sense of gratitude.”

He believes gratitude is the proper context for each individual to discern his or her vocation in the Church.

“It’s not out of obligation as a requirement or a duty alone that we discern our calling from God,” the bishop-elect stated. “That’s not enough. It’s also having a sense of gratitude and a recognition that we’re not worthy of it.”

“If you really have that spirit, that mentality of what ministry is, then you’ll never go wrong,” he said.