Kansas
Bishop McKnight tapped to follow Naumann as archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas
Vatican City, Apr 8, 2025 /
10:10 am
The Vatican on Tuesday announced Pope Francis’ choice of Bishop Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri, as the next archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas, following the resignation of Archbishop Joseph Naumann.
Naumann is retiring after turning 75 in June 2024 and after 20 years at the helm of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, which has over 180,000 Catholics and a total population of nearly 1.4 million. Pope Francis accepted Naumann’s resignation on April 8 after the Kansas City archbishop submitted his letter last year as required by canon law.
Originally from St. Louis, Naumann was appointed coadjutor archbishop of Kansas City in January 2004 and assumed the role of archbishop one year later when his predecessor retired. Prior to that, he served for nearly seven years as an auxiliary bishop of St. Louis, the archdiocese in which he had been ordained a priest in 1975.
From 2018-2021, Naumann was chairman of the pro-life committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), for which he now serves as a consultant.
For the 56-year-old McKnight, the appointment marks a return to his home state — and a move just 150 miles to the west — after seven years in Missouri’s capital city.
The archbishop-designate, who will be installed in the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, on May 27, said in an April 8 statement that he was grateful for his seven years leading the Catholics of the Diocese of Jefferson City, his “first flock as a bishop.”
Kansas City, Kansas, on the border with the state of Missouri, is part of the greater metropolitan area of Kansas City, which also includes the separately incorporated city of Kansas City, Missouri (part of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph).
Prior to his nomination as bishop of Jefferson City, McKnight, one of seven children, was a priest of the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, where he was ordained in 1994.
The bishop has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Dallas and both a licentiate and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome. His dissertation was on the permanent diaconate.
McKnight was an adjunct professor of theology and visiting scholar in the Bishop Gerber Institute of Catholic Studies at Newman University in Wichita from 2000-2001. He also served as a university chaplain.
From 2003-2008, McKnight taught liturgy and homiletics, and held several administrative roles, including dean of students at the Pontifical College Josephinum, a seminary in Columbus, Ohio.
He spent six years in Washington, D.C., serving as executive director of the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations of the USCCB before returning to serve in a parish in Wichita.
Pope Francis named him the fourth bishop of Jefferson City in early 2018.
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency’s senior Vatican correspondent. After growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, she earned a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri. In 2016, she moved to Rome, Italy, where in her spare time she enjoys reading and going on adventures with her husband and son.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — One person died in a traffic crash Thursday night on southbound Interstate 35 at Antioch Road in Johnson County.
The wreck forced the closure of exit ramps at Lamar Avenue, Interstate 635 and Metcalf Avenue, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Overland Park police investigators are working to determine what caused the wreck.
The Kansas Highway Patrol and other agencies also are on the scene.
An overhead road sign could be seen on the interstate.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB 41
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — From 25,000 parking spots to 19,000 within a 10-minute walk to the stadium, that’s how many Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says will be available near the new Royals ballpark in Crown Center, with 9,000 of those spots on the actual campus.
While there will be less parking, Royals fan Roger Nickell says he believes this move is good for Kansas City.
“I think anything that makes Kansas City an exciting place to come to, and a good destination, the parking itself is not going to be the issue,” Nickell said “We’d rather have good things in our city, and if you go to other cities, Kansas City is actually really, really easy right now.”
While it might not be ideal for some, downtown stadiums and parking is the normal for a number of teams and cities throughout Major League Baseball. Upwards of 20 teams have a stadium in the downtown area, including the Twins, Cardinals and Tigers.
“I think every new stadium in the MLB is being built downtown, so I kind of expected it,” Royals fan Jackson Fort said. “I think parking will be kind of, they’ll have to figure out something because there’s going to be a big building and not a lot of space to put it. I think you’ll see a lot more Ubers and less of that tailgating scene that the chiefs and the royals are so known for.”
While tailgating as we know it will look different, walking to the stadium won’t actually look that bad if you use the streetcar. From the stop at the World War I Museum, you’re looking at a nine-minute walk to Crown Center, and four-minute walk if you get off at Union Station.
“I think it would be a good thing for the city, for the baseball park and for everybody,” avid streetcar user Gary Henderson said. “Especially for the people who use the trolley would get a chance to see how comfortable it is and maybe it’ll increase their business too.”
With hopes of the new stadium to be ready for opening day in 2030, the Royals, Kansas City, and fans have time to figure out any potential obstacles.
“I think we’ll get to figure it out,” Royals fan Caden Tucker said. “I think that they have plenty of time to be able to figure everything out and make sure everything’s not going to be packed in here and just kind of slowed down in the process.”
While a lot of parking will be taken away in the near future, if one thing is for certain, the Royals will not. The current lease for Kauffman stadium is set to expire in 2031.
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