A new bishop for a vast, historical diocese

Christ sends each one of us, each day, out. The beautiful words above the doors of this beautiful cathedral: ‘Go into the whole world, and proclaim the Gospel to all creation.’”

Bishop-elect Ralph B. O’Donnell

Diocese of Jefferson City at a glance

AREA

22,127 square miles

38 counties — northeastern and central MO

Mostly rural

Largest urban cities — Columbia, Jefferson City

POPULATION

Total population — 927,000

Catholic population — 74,500 (8%)

PARISHES/MISSIONS

91 parishes

9 missions

Range — 2,400 registered households to fewer than 50

EDUCATION/HEALTH CARE/CHARITABLE OUTREACH

36 Catholic elementary schools

3 Catholic high schools

1 Catholic early childhood learning center

1 Catholic hospital

Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri

CLERGY/RELIGIOUS

45 active priests

22 retired diocesan priests

20 priests from other dioceses

103 permanent deacons

15 religious sisters

The ministry of the bishop

The bishops, as vicars and legates of Christ, govern the particular Churches assigned to them by their counsels, exhortations and example but over and above that also by the authority and sacred power which indeed they exercise exclusively for the spiritual development of their flock in truth and holiness, keeping in mind that he who is greater should become as the lesser, and he who is the leader as the servant (Luke 22:26-27).

This power, which they exercise personally in the name of Christ, is proper, ordinary and immediate, although its exercise is ultimately controlled by the supreme authority of the Church and can be confined within certain limits should the usefulness of the Church and the faithful require that.

In virtue of this power, bishops have a sacred right and a duty before the Lord of legislating for and of passing judgment on their subjects, as well as of regulating everything that concerns the good order of divine worship and of the apostolate.

The pastoral charge — that is, the permanent and daily care of their sheep — is entrusted to them fully; nor are they to be regarded as vicars of the Roman Pontiff; for they exercise the power which they possess in their own right and are called in the truest sense of the term prelates of the people whom they govern.

Consequently, their authority, far from being damaged by the supreme and universal power, is much rather defended, upheld and strengthened by it, since the Holy Spirit preserves unfailingly that form of government which was set up by Christ the Lord in his Church.

Sent as he is by the Father to govern his family, a bishop should keep before his eyes the example of the Good Shepherd, who came not to be waited upon but to serve (cf. Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45) and to lay down his life for his sheep (cf. John 10: 11). Taken from among men and oppressed by the weakness that surrounds him, he can have compassion for those who are ignorant and erring (cf. Hebrews 5:1-2)

— “Lumen Gentium,” Constitution on the Church, Second Vatican Council, #27

Bishop-elect Ralph B. O’Donnell is set to become the fifth leader of a relatively new diocese but one with Catholic roots stretching back to the early 1800s.

A textured mosaic

The longest-serving active parish in the diocese is St. Stephen in Indian Creek, established in 1833.

The most recent newly-established parish, St. Andrew in Holts Summit, dates from 1974.

St. Vincent de Paul Parish of Pettis County was created from the previous Sacred Heart and St. Patrick parishes in Sedalia and the former Mission of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Bahner in 2019.

The oldest continuously operating Catholic school in the diocese is St. Joseph School in Westphalia, founded in 1838. The newest is Fr. Tolton Regional Catholic High School in Columbia, founded in 2011.

The National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church, one of only two national shrines in Missouri, is located on the grounds of St. Patrick Church in Laurie.

Other notable pilgrimage destinations include the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Starkenburg and the Shrine of St. Patrick in northeastern Missouri.

The University of Missouri’s flagship campus in Columbia is located in the diocese, as are Truman State University in Kirksville and the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. All three have thriving Catholic Newman centers.

The diocese is also home to several other institutes of higher learning, some with significant populations of Catholic students.

Tourist destinations Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake, Pomme de Terre Lake and Mark Twain Lake attract visitors from all over the country.

Also within diocesan jurisdiction are eight corrections facilities housing about 12,000 members of the state’s prison population.

Changes and opportunities

Venerable Pope Pius XII (+1939-1958), the 259th successor to St. Peter, established the Diocese of Jefferson City on Nov. 29, 1956.

It is a suffragan, or subordinate, of the Metropolitan See of St. Louis.

The diocese comprises territory that was previously part of the St. Louis archdiocese and the former dioceses of Kansas City and St. Joseph.

A well-organized system of rural parishes, particularly in Cole, Osage, Adair, Ralls and Monroe counties, was the result of early and mid-19th-century Jesuit missionary activity and primarily German, Italian and Irish immigrations.

The local Church and the unique communities in which it finds manifestation continue to change.

Economic and demographic trends — including tectonic shifts in farming practices over the past 50 years — have led to the growth of some parishes and the diminishment of others.

Meanwhile, immigrants from Central and South America — many of them Catholic — are contributing to the growth and viability of parishes throughout the diocese.

Immigrants from other parts of the world — including Eastern Europe, Vietnam, the Philippines and several African nations — are also presenting energy and diversity.

The local Church of the 21st century presents new challenges for ministry and evangelization, specifically to young people, people who are vulnerable and marginalized, and those who don’t fit neatly into any simple classification.

Bishop-elect O’Donnell sees these developments as emerging opportunities for people of faith to encounter Christ in one another and in those around them.

“Christ sends each one of us, each day, out,” he stated. “The beautiful words above the doors of this beautiful cathedral: ‘Go into the whole world, and proclaim the Gospel to all creation.’

“He calls us as he has ever called through the centuries, and it is such a gift of faith,” the bishop-elect continued. “I know it’s going to be challenging. But I think it’s going to be great.”