At noon on Monday, January 13, Mike Kehoe was sworn in as the 58th Governor of the State of Missouri. Kehoe, a member of the Cathedral of St. Joseph Parish in Jefferson City, is the second Catholic to serve as governor of Missouri and the first since Gov. Joseph Teasdale, who served from 1977-1981.
As per tradition, Gov. Kehoe waited to take his oath of office until the bell in nearby St. Peter Church struck noon.
In his Inaugural Address, Gov. Kehoe highlighted the impact his late mother had on him. “I learned a lot about life, faith and relationships from her,” he said. “Every time we kids complained about something we didn’t have, she had a simple answer: ‘Pray harder, work harder.’”
Bishop Shawn McKnight of the Diocese of Jefferson City gave the invocation, asking the Lord to support the state’s officers in their work. “Through their stewardship of our resources, may they ensure opportunities for education, jobs, commerce, health and well-being of our citizens. May they preserve and defend the physical and moral integrity of our beloved state, founded with trust in you.”
On the afternoon before Inauguration Day, friends, family members, colleagues, and supporters of Gov. Kehoe joined him, Bishop McKnight, Father Steven Jones, and Monsignor Robert Kurwicki at Mass in the Cathedral of St. Joseph.
More information about the inauguration of Gov. Kehoe can be found in this article from the Catholic Missourian.