Making Connections
By Bishop W. Shawn McKnight During an historic pandemic, our country faces one of the most contentious presidential election campaigns in recent memory. Some of our fellow Americans may be wondering if they are living in the apocalypse, with fire, drought, hurricanes, flooding, riots and other stresses added to the mix. Just where is our…
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By Bishop W. Shawn McKnight For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another (Romans 12:4-5) This past year we began the process to develop a diocesan pastoral plan based…
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On June 21, 2020, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the diocesan patroness, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight delivered a homily at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, in which he called on Catholics to purify their hearts of the evil of racism. “Our devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary forces us to contemplate…
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By Bishop W. Shawn McKnight It’s summer, and for some it’s a time of vacation and relaxation. For our pastors and parish pastoral councils, it’s a time to gather the discernment of parishioners and develop their parish pastoral plan. All parishes will be submitting a pastoral plan to me by July 31. These plans are…
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Bishop W. Shawn McKnight delivered the following homily on April 5, 2020, Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, at The Cathedral of St. Joseph, Jefferson City: Today’s liturgy contains a huge contrast. We began with the triumphal entry of Jesus on a donkey through the gates of Jerusalem, and we joined the adulation…
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UPDATED APRIL 1, 2020: These protocols have been replaced by a new decree of Bishop McKnight’s.
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Bishop W. Shawn McKnight As my two-year anniversary as your bishop draws near, I find myself grateful every day for the opportunity to be the shepherd for God’s people here in central and northern Missouri. Your dedication to living as disciples of Christ has been edifying and consoling to me! At the same time, I…
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On this day, as we remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I ask that we recognize the best way we can strengthen our communities, our nation, our church, is by working together to ensure every human being is treated with dignity. As Dr. King wrote in Letters from Birmingham Jail,…
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By Bishop W. Shawn McKnight This Advent, many Catholics throughout our diocese will be participating in a four-session program called “A Steward’s Way.” We’ll be meeting in small groups in our parishes (and others will be meeting in our closed Facebook group) to reflect on our gratitude to God for the gifts of family and…
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