Msgr. Robert A. Kurwicki has been elected to serve as the administrator of the Diocese of Jefferson City. He is the first to hold the title of administrator in the 70-year history of the diocese.
The election was held by ballot at the rectory of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, with the eight priests of the diocesan College of Consultors participating. It follows the installation of the Most Reverend Shawn McKnight as Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas on May 27, 2025. Archbishop McKnight’s leadership of the Diocese of Jefferson City, which began in 2018, ceased when he assumed his new role in Kansas.
As administrator, Msgr. Kurwicki is charged with maintaining the essential operations of the diocese. According to Canon Law, a diocesan administrator may not enact major changes or initiatives, as those responsibilities are reserved for the next bishop, who will be appointed by Pope Leo XIV.
Msgr. Kurwicki, 65, currently serves as pastor of St. Peter Parish in Jefferson City and as chaplain of the Missouri House of Representatives. Click here to read more from the Catholic Missourian.