On May 20, hundreds of Catholics joined Archbishop-elect Shawn McKnight in the Cathedral of St. Joseph for a Mass of Thanksgiving. “You will always be in my heart, in my thoughts, and in my prayers. (…) 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,” he stated in his homily. In a solemn and emotional moment, Fr. Stephen Jones removed the Archbishop-elect’s coat of arms from above the bishop’s chair, which will remain empty until a new bishop of Jefferson City is installed.
Abp. McKnight served for seven years and three months as head of the Diocese of Jefferson City. On April 8, 2025, he was appointed to serve as head of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in his home state of Kansas. He will be installed on May 27.
Among the milestones of his time as bishop of Jefferson City is the extensive renovation of the Cathedral of St. Joseph, along with the efforts to renew the ecclesial life of the diocese. In a recent interview with The Catholic Missourian, Abp. McKnight mentioned the following: “Our promotion of pastoral planning and becoming a more synodal Church in that way, along with the stewardship way of life, and support and promotion of our Catholic school system, those were all significant efforts. Also significant, I think, was the time and attention that I paid to the youth of the diocese and the promotion of more vocations to the priesthood.” The full interview is available here.
The Missouri Catholic Conference is grateful to Abp. McKnight for his years of leadership and faithful service to the Diocese of Jefferson City, and the state of Missouri. We encourage the faithful to pray for the new Archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas, so he can guide his flock with wisdom, charity, and humility.