05 23 25 Vol. 46 EXTRA

A LEGACY OF FAITH

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Life Will Be Victorious

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann reflects on his years leading the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and what the role has meant to him.

Page 2

Mark My Words

Father Mark Goldasich offers his thoughts on the leadership of Archbishop Naumann.

Page 3

For life

The archbishop helped advance pro-life efforts at every juncture of his career. He became nationally recognized for his pro-life ministry when he was elected chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

Page 4

Class act

The archbishop was a champion for Catholic education, working hard to ensure that the option was available to all families, regardless of financial status.

Page 8

To the ends of the earth

The seminarian pilgrimage was an annual highlight for the archbishop and the young men who traveled with him. It offered those discerning a vocation a chance to get to know him better — and vice versa.

Page 10

Building a spiritual kingdom

Archbishop Naumann started and supported many undertakings in the archdiocese designed to strengthen the spiritual fabric of the local church.

Page 12

His mother’s son

Louise Naumann was a single mother and Catholic school educator. Her guiding hand helped shape the man her son would become.

Page 15

Picture this

The Leaven shares some of its favorite images of Archbishop Naumann from over the years.

Page 16

Pandemic leader

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the nation and temporarily brought a halt to church services and in-class instruction, the archbishop made the tough decisions, both in the moment and for the future.

Page 18

Hispanic leader

The archbishop had a special place in his heart for Spanish-speakers in the archdiocese. His recognition of the importance of Hispanic ministry led to growth in that area.

Page 20

Thou shalt not kill

Having lost his father to a tragic murder before he was born, Archbishop Naumann offered a powerful witness in opposition to the death penalty.

Page 21

Corporal work of mercy

Throughout his tenure as leader of the archdiocese, the archbishop always made it a priority to visit and pray with the incarcerated.

Page 22

The builder

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas underwent a great period of physical growth under Archbishop Naumann, with new construction helping spread the word of God.

Page 24

Lasting legacy

Archbishop Naumann talks with senior reporter Moira Cullings about his 20-plus years leading the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Page 29

Counting his blessings Archbishop feels privileged to impact so many

In recent weeks — with the 50th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood on May 24, my more than 20 years serving as the Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas and my retirement imminent — I have been asked on numerous occasions what I consider to be my legacy. Truthfully, I think it is best to let other people articulate what they consider to be the legacy of my ministry as a priest and bishop.

At the same time, I can share what I hope will be the enduring fruit of my ministry as the archbishop. First of all, I pray that during the last 20 years, we have realized at some level our mission statement: “Growing as disciples of Jesus, making disciples for Jesus.”

In his apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis stated that he never tired of repeating the words of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who said frequently: “Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” I hope in some way my ministry has helped to foster opportunities for the people of the archdiocese to encounter the event that changed everything — the death and resurrection of Jesus. I also pray that my ministry helped to facilitate encounters with the person of Jesus.

I did not arrive in the archdiocese with a preconceived agenda or plan. I wanted to first experience the life of the church in northeast Kansas.

I am very grateful for the pastoral work of my predecessor, Archbishop James Patrick Keleher. We continue to reap the fruits of his dedicated service.

Archbishop Keleher founded Prairie Star Ranch and its youth camps, where so many of our young people, surrounded by the beauty of nature, encountered Jesus through their experiences of adoration, confession and the Eucharist. Archbishop Keleher created a culture that encouraged young people to consider vocations to the priesthood or consecrated life. When I arrived in 2004, St. James Academy was under construction, and plans had been developed for Santa Marta, a continuum of care retirement community.

From my first days in the archdiocese, I was grateful to experience the vitality

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

ARCHBISHOP

JOSEPH F. NAUMANN

of the church and hoped to build upon what was already in place. I believe the Holy Spirit raised up a unique and talented set of leaders to help provide many opportunities for the people of the archdiocese to encounter Jesus.

Early in my time in the archdiocese, we cosponsored with the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph a Living Rosary Rally at Kauffman Stadium with more than 20,000 in attendance. In preparing for the rosary rally, we promoted the daily praying of the rosary by individuals and families. When we draw close to Mary, she always draws us closer to her Son.

Under the leadership of the cofounders Dr. Mike Scherschligt and Dr. Troy Hinkel, the Holy Family School of Faith, a public association of the faithful, was founded to provide adult faith formation and education. Today, the Holy Family School of Faith, through its “Daily Rosary Meditations” podcast, provides to more than 250,000 subscribers inspiring reflections on Scripture, the catechism and the lives of the saints.

Recognizing the desire of so many to deepen their prayer life, at my request, the Apostles of the Interior Life and the Holy Family School of Faith developed the Catholic Spiritual Mentorship Program that equips clergy, religious and mainly laity to accompany others desiring a closer relationship with Jesus. Several hundred men and women have received excellent formation to help others grow their life of prayer.

At my request, the Holy Family School of Faith developed a spiritual formation program for Catholic school teachers. Donnelly College’s Blessed Seelos Institute now provides this spiritual formation for all of

the faculties of our Catholic secondary and elementary schools.

Many years ago, I began the practice of visiting our high schools — not only annually for Mass, but also for eucharistic adoration with the entire faculty and student body. After Mass or eucharistic adoration, I often meet with a group of students to allow them the opportunity to ask me questions, but also to learn from them their experience in our Catholic schools. I am edified by what our students share. They readily acknowledge the inspiration they receive from their teachers, coaches and staff. They recognize the difference friendship with Jesus and participation in the Catholic Church makes in the lives of their faculty.

The archdiocese has increased our efforts to provide married couples with more opportunities to renew and deepen their marital love. The family is the foundation for society, culture, the nation and the church. Marriage is the foundation of the family. Under the leadership and guidance of Brad and Libby Dupont, who lead our marriage and family life office, the archdiocese has partnered with EverMore In Love, the School of Love, Communio and several other ministries to offer opportunities for marriage enrichment for couples.

Pope Francis reminded us that we encounter Jesus when we strive to bring the Gospel to the peripheries. I am amazed at the many ways Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas makes tangible the love of Jesus Christ to those who find themselves in difficult circumstances. Catholic Charities not only provides emergency assistance (food, clothing and shelter), but through the St. Rita Workforce Development Program, removes barriers for economic stability and success for the unemployed and underemployed. This

program for individuals who are motivated to break free from the cycle of poverty changes lives through education and career advancement.

Similarly, I am very grateful for our pro-life ministries that surround mothers in a difficult pregnancy with a community of love and support. Our pro-life network is doing so much to rescue babies and their mothers from the tragedy of abortion. Our Project Rachel ministry offers healing and mercy to those who have been involved with abortion. I am also very grateful for our Foster Care Ministry that is striving to identify and equip more foster families and energize our parishes to increase their support for foster care.

Likewise, the Catholic Education Foundation has had remarkable success in raising millions of dollars for scholarships to our Catholic schools. Their success has kept our schools from becoming economically prohibitive and made them financially accessible for all families.

Donnelly College, the vast majority of whose graduates are first-generation recipients of a higher education degree, is another unique and beautiful way that the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas provides opportunities for individuals to escape the cycle of poverty.

The archdiocese has been incredibly blessed with the presence of new religious communities, such as the Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr St. George, the Little Sisters and Little Brothers of the Lamb, the Friars and Sisters of the Fraternity the Poor of Jesus Christ, the Missionary Fathers of the Nativity of Mary, the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales, and most recently, the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The witness of these religious women and men, combined with the religious orders present in the archdiocese for many years, serve as leaven and light for the entire church.

The Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is not my church. It is the church of Jesus Christ. I have had the privilege to serve in the archdiocese for a season — a fairly long season, more than 20 years. I have had the privilege to impact a generation of Catholics. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support. I feel very grateful and extraordinarily blessed!

I bet the archbishop won’t rest on his laurels

There’s a quote, sometimes attributed to American sportswriter Red Smith, that says: “Writing is really quite simple; all you have to do is sit down at your typewriter, open your veins and bleed.” If that sentiment is true — and in my experience, it is — then Archbishop Naumann must have had thousands and thousands of transfusions in his time here in the archdiocese! Except for the summer months, the archbishop wrote every week for The Leaven. In fact, page 2 was reserved for him. (If you don’t believe me, just look over at the previous page.) And he didn’t write just a little. Most of the time, he filled almost the entire page. That’s a lot of blood being shed!

Archbishop Naumann was always a big supporter of The Leaven. He continued the policy of his predecessors that every registered parishioner in the archdiocese receive a copy of the paper. He saw the value of a physical newspaper that was delivered to the home. Not only was it a tool for evangelization and communication, but The Leaven was also likely the only Catholic literature coming into most homes. For those who didn’t regularly attend church, he saw the paper as a way to keep

up their relationship with the church.

I appreciated that the archbishop, although the publisher of The Leaven, was not a micromanager. He trusted the staff here to do its job, using our talents and creativity to spread the good news of the faith being lived out in the archdiocese, the country and the world. And he was a cheerleader for the paper, mentioning it in many of his visits around the archdiocese.

The archbishop’s writing was not limited, though, to the newspaper. In notes of thanks to the parish, he’d always include a handwritten sentence or two at the bottom of the typewritten letter.

A particularly in-

THROUGH THE YEARS

spirational practice of Archbishop Naumann was to handwrite a note to priests on their birthday. It was never some generic “enjoy your day” but always something specific about one’s ministry. It was an encouraging note that I suspect many priests (like me) kept and took out to reread on difficult or exhausting days.

Often at Christmas, priests would receive a gift book from the archbishop. It was a reminder to me to keep deepening my spiritual life. The archbishop modeled that behavior to constantly seek a more intimate relationship with Jesus. He’s like Pablo Casals in this story:

When he was 95, a reporter asked Casals, “You’re acclaimed as the greatest cellist that ever lived. Why do you still practice six hours a day?”

Casals put down his bow and replied, “Because I think I’m making progress!” (Story adapted from Brian Ca-

vanaugh’s “Fresh Packet of Sower’s Seeds: Third Planting.”)

Something that often goes unnoticed is that Archbishop Naumann is still working hard even though he’s almost 76 years old. Many of his contemporaries, both priests and laymen, would have retired years ago to enjoy a more relaxed life. But the archbishop remains committed to living a life of service. He’d do something, I suspect, like the guy in this story:

A man was driving on a lonely road one summer day and noticed a car with a flat tire pulled over on the shoulder of the road. A woman was standing next to the car looking

dismayed.

The man decided to be a good Samaritan and come to her aid. He grew hot, sweaty and dirty as he changed the tire in the hot sun. The woman was watching him and when he was finished, she said, “Be sure and let the jack down easily now, because my husband is sleeping in the back seat of the car!”

(Story found in “Illustrations Unlimited,” edited by James S. Hewett.)

As this legacy issue illustrates, Archbishop Naumann was not one to sleep in his 20 years of leadership here. He’s inspired me to see my writing as a ministry, a chance to proclaim the good news beyond my parish. He’s challenged me to see the value in

handwriting notes to others, whether just a few words on a formal thank-you note from the parish or in a card to congratulate someone or just keep in touch. He’s modeled for me an active spiritual life as well as a life of priestly service.

And for all these things, I’m grateful to Archbishop Naumann. Oh, one last thought: For 20 years, I’ve had to endure my staff saying, “Where is your column? Yours is always the last one done! The archbishop has had his in way ahead of you!”

Maybe, just maybe, they’ll give me a break now . . . or at least take me in for a transfusion!

Joseph Fred Naumann born on June 4 to the late Fred and Louise (Lukens) Naumann in St. Louis.

Graduated from St. Louis Preparatory Seminary South in St. Louis.

Graduated from Cardinal Glennon College in St. Louis.

FATHER MARK GOLDASICH

Father Mark is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989.

MARK MY WORDS

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Naumann chats with Deacon Jody Madden before an outdoor Mass at Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

Archbishop Naumann explains his miter to Catholic school students in 2012. The archbishop made frequent visits to archdiocesan Catholic schools over the years.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Naumann put a lot of miles on his vehicles over the years, traveling the length and breadth of the archdiocese for confirmations, installations and special events.

EARLY ASSIGNMENT

SPARKED PASSION FOR PRO-LIFE CAUSE

By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org

Vitae victoria erit.

It is Latin for “Life will be victorious.”

It’s been the episcopal motto of Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann since his 1997 ordination as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

The motto, said pro-life leaders at archdiocesan, state, regional and national levels, reflects the truth on which he has staked his ministry for more than 40 years.

In 1984, Archbishop John L. May

appointed the young priest director of the Respect Life office in St. Louis.

Established in 1973 by Cardinal John Joseph Carberry, the office was the first of its kind in the country.

Through his new position, Father Naumann met others dedicated to the same mission, including Al and Molly Kertz.

“We had just taken over as parish pro-life coordinators at Mary, Queen of Peace in Webster Groves, [Missouri]. He was relatively new as the archdiocesan director. . . . It was the beginning of officially our involvement,” Molly said. (Years later, the archbishop recommended Molly to serve in the same role he had).

As the couple served their parish, they often saw Father Naumann at events, discussed issues with him during meetings and witnessed his thoughts turn into ideas, then actions.

To this day, the couple attributes many of the ministries within the Respect Life apostolate’s four focus areas of pastoral care, spiritual care, education, and public policy and advocacy to

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann speaks at the Kansas March for Life earlier this year in front of the Capitol building in Topeka.

Continued on the next page

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann is joined every year at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., by a large contingent of archdiocesan students. This photo shows him surrounded by Ravens for Life, pro-life students from Benedictine College in Atchison, at this year’s march.

NAUMANN

Father Naumann grew St. Louis’ pro-life efforts

>> Continued from previous page

the archbishop.

“He studies issues and situations. He processes them in his mind,” Al said.

“He’s thoughtful. He comes up with ideas,” he added. “He’s not intent on taking credit for the ideas. He will kind of demure or try to pass them off to someone else.”

Besides abortion, the archbishop focused on all life issues, including medical ethics, euthanasia and the connection between contraception and abortion.

“Until Archbishop Naumann left to go to Kansas City, he made sure [Archbishop Justin Rigali and Archbishop Raymond Burke] were surrounded by expert advisers on all of these issues so that they had the backing and the expert information on what’s going on with some of these delicate and complicated issues. . . . He just has a seamless pro-life ethic,” Molly said.

Jeff and Jeanne Stoll, members of Sacred Heart Parish in Florissant, Missouri, agreed.

They, too, served in pro-life ministry under Father Naumann in numerous ways — from taking buses to the March for Life, to serving on advisory boards and teaching natural family planning. Like the Kertzes, they remain friends with the archbishop to this day.

“I think his quiet, humble example was a real beacon to us and encouraged us to jump in and do what we thought we could do,” Jeff said.

The natural family planning office sponsored an annual Mass to celebrate the 1968 papal encyclical “Humanae Vitae.” Jeanne often recalls the archbishop’s presence.

“His commitment to what we were doing, I think, helped people to see the connection between contraception and abortion,” she said.

Jeff agreed.

“He took all these things into consideration,” he noted. “He wasn’t a guy who was anti-abortion. He was truly pro-life.”

As the Respect Life apostolate grew under Father Naumann, its influence grew, Jeanne said, adding it’s no wonder people started looking to the archdiocese for guidance — including Carl Landwehr, founder of the Vitae Foundation headquartered in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Today, the foundation’s “lifesaving research” is used by many organizations including Heartbeat International, 40 Days for Life and Students for Life.

When Father Naumann came on the scene, the organization was growing, changing its focus from print media and trying to market its “product” — life.

“He was instrumental in everything we did,” Landwehr said, adding then-Father Naumann’s willingness extended to even driving the organization’s leaders to parishes in St. Louis. Upon arrival at their location, Landwehr remembers the archbishop almost always carrying one item.

“Father Joe was always willing to

carry the TV set,” Landwehr said, chuckling.

The organization used a portable television to make presentations while soliciting donations. Landwehr said he and the tall young priest got some glances on more than one occasion as they walked the inner-city streets with the TV.

In addition to supporting organizations, leaders said, now-Archbishop

Appointed auxiliary bishop on July 8 for the Archdiocese of St. Louis and titular bishop of Caput Cilla; received episcopal consecration on Sept. 3.

Naumann is always willing to help brother priests and bishops, including Bishop James D. Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln. Ordained for the Diocese of Wichita in 1985, Bishop Conley was appointed Respect Life director shortly thereafter and met Archbishop Naumann at the annual pro-life directors meeting a year or two later.

>> Continued on the next page

Pro-life ministries within the archdiocese

• Project Rachel*

• Project Joseph*

• Ignite rally

• Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic

• Olathe Pregnancy Clinic

• Kansas City Pregnancy Clinic

• Mary’s Choices

• Kansas City Pregnancy Clinic –Shawnee

• Gabriel Project

• Thrive Foster Care Ministry

• Walking with Moms in Need parish-based initiative

• Annual appeal for the Respect Life Fund

• Culture Project Missionaries

• Pro-life Youth Leadership Summer Camp

• Embrace Grace support groups

• Life Alliance Kansas

• Missionary Disciples for Life parish-based initiative

• helpingkansaswomen.org

*These ministries preceded Archbishop Naumann’s arrival.

March 19, 2004

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Naumann, with assistance from Father Anthony Saiki, blesses a memorial to the unborn at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas.

COURTESY PHOTO

In 1984, Archbishop John L. May appointed Father Joseph F. Naumann director of the Respect Life office in St. Louis.

St. Louis became a model for national pro-life efforts

>> Continued from previous page

“He became a mentor to me because I just knew he was a strong voice, and the pro-life office in the Archdiocese of St. Louis was a model for the country,” Bishop Conley said. “We had a very strong pro-life community in Wichita, but the pro-life office had not really been developed [at that time]. So, I looked to Father Naumann and the office in St. Louis as a model of how we might grow our efforts. We met probably in 1986 or 1987, and we continued to get to know each other at the national meetings.”

Learning from Father Naumann, Bishop Conley said his diocese was able to launch ministries similar to those in St. Louis, such as Gerard House, which provides stable housing and supportive services “to pregnant and parenting teens to give them and their babies a healthy start.”

In 2008, then-Msgr. Conley became an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Denver, where he was appointed liaison to the Catholic health care system. Having no experience with large health care systems, Bishop

March 21, 2004

Coadjutor

the lead of the

the

Conley said he naturally turned to Archbishop Naumann. In 2012, Bishop Conley was installed

2004

In November, he

2005

On Jan. 15, succeeded Archbishop

a

as the bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln.

In 2018, when Archbishop Naumann became the first non-cardinal to serve

2005

Began strategic planning for the various pastoral regions (deaneries). The boundaries were redrawn in 2008, reducing the pastoral regions from 11 to eight.

as chair of the U. S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Prolife Activities, the archbishop invited Bishop Conley to serve with him on the committee and its health care subcommittee.

“I always want to know what his perspective is on these political issues,” Bishop Conley said. “I think he has the same effect for a lot of bishops. . . . When he stands up to speak, people listen.”

The archbishop, he said, will go down as “one of the top pro-life leaders of our era.”

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, who followed Archbishop Naumann as chair of the bishops’ pro-life committee from 2021-24, agreed, saying he learned a lot from the archbishop.

“I learned a lot about his leadership style when he was chair and I was a member,” he said. “For example, his ability to listen so well to all the voices and how to respectfully listen to different thoughts and insights and to bring

>> Continued on the next page

May 25, 2005

On May 25, Archbishop

Archbishop Naumann celebrated his first Mass on March 21 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Kansas City, Kansas.

made his first “ad limina” visit to Rome as coadjutor.

James P. Keleher as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Naumann ordained his first priest to the presbyterate of the archdiocese, Father Bruce Ansems, at the Cathedral of St. Peter.

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Archbishop Naumann leads a rally in Overland Park in support of the “Value Them Both” amendment in 2022. The amendment would have declared that the Kansas Constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion.

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Following

March for Life in Washington,

Kansas March for Life has typically been held

week after the Washington rally. The march follows the IGNITE for Life rally in Topeka, a Kansas pro-life effort.

‘When

>> Continued from previous page

he stands up to speak, people listen’

that all together,” Bishop Burbidge said.

He said the archbishop often reminds him the focus cannot be on changing laws.

“We have to transform hearts,” Bishop Burbidge said. “That’s why his commitment and his consistency in a beautiful way speaking about Walking with Moms and that program he’s so passionate about is so important because that’s how you change hearts. You let people know the church is there every step of the way for mother and child.”

Announced January 2020 in Washington, D.C., the Walking with Moms in Need program grew, Bishop Burbidge said, not only out of the archbishop’s faith, but also his personal story.

In December 1948, with a toddler not quite 2, Louise Naumann, who was pregnant with the future archbishop, became a single mother when her husband Fred was murdered.

“The way that he shares that in such a personal and intimate way — you can tell that it shaped who he was and it formed him,” Bishop Burbidge said.

Besides aiding his brother bishops, Archbishop Naumann is a constant source of encouragement to everyone within his own archdiocese which he has led for 20 years — including Debra Niesen, consultant for the archdiocesan pro-life office since 2018.

Together, Niesen and the archbishop have continued or launched several

ministries. (See sidebar on page 5.)

In her role, Niesen said she’s heard nothing but gratitude for the archbishop’s leadership, especially from her counterparts in other dioceses. She’s also witnessed his graciousness at the March for Life.

“Every few steps, he is approached and asked for a photo, for a blessing, for a conversation, to kiss his ring, etc. Archbishop Naumann is always incredibly gracious and will stop to speak to anyone who asks for his time — despite the cold temperatures, the snow, his fatigue — and give his undivided attention to that person or group.”

One of his favorite events though, Niesen said, is the archdiocese’s annual luncheon for pregnancy resource centers (PRCs).

“He gets to hear about all of the good things happening and lives being saved in our local PRCs, and also gets to hear the challenges and offer blessing and prayers for those situations,” Niesen said. Five of those centers were started by a single couple: Ron and Donna Kelsey.

Ron was the archbishop’s first hire in 2005 and preceded Niesen in her role. After he left his post, the couple started establishing the PRCs.

“[The archbishop] knows firsthand what these moms go through because of the way he grew up,” said Donna. “His support and his initiation of the programs for these mothers has just been wonderful.”

Others pay tribute to Archbishop Naumann’s pro-life leadership

“From my perspective, I would say that he is very well-known and speaks the truth with love and encourages us all to follow his lead.”

Bishop Gerald Vincke Diocese of Salina

“He would talk about Catholic politicians who supported abortion, and he didn’t condemn them, but he did point out they shouldn’t call themselves good Catholics in good standing. Then, he would turn around and talk about how we need to have compassion for the women who are considering abortion or have had an abortion. . . . I pray that he is with us for many more years, but when his days are up, he is one of those who is going to hear the words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’”

Carol Tobias president of National Right to Life Committee

“He speaks in a beautiful, simple and direct way. . . . He speaks with the words of Christ.”

Steve Rupp president of Missouri Right to Life

“He is a living embodiment of the pro-life movement.”

Peter Northcott executive director, Kansans for Life

“Archbishop Naumann reads everything I send to him, often commenting upon or asking for more clarification on certain finer points. He has a profound understanding that I am his spokesperson on policy issues that must reflect Catholic teaching, while upholding and lifting up what we call ‘the common good.’”

Chuck Weber executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference

“No matter if I’m seeing him at the March for Life [in Washington, D.C.] or if we’re in Topeka or I run into him at an event somewhere in the Kansas City metro area, he is this wonderful example of compassion and boldness. . . . To see him walk and talk in that manner has given me strength on the days where I’ve felt like maybe I can’t do this.”

Melissa Ohden abortion survivor and founder of the Abortion Survivors Network

“He stands out as one of the best bishops in our country to not be afraid to speak out for the life of unborn babies and for the women who are pregnant with them.”

Dr. Angelique Pritchett

“He comes into those [ultrasound] rooms with all of the might of the church behind him, and he blesses that room and that ultrasound and all of us. . . . That’s where the light comes to a lot of these women is in those rooms, and I think he’s just been such a beacon of light for us.”

Leah Conner executive director, Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic

“It’s always been encouraging to me that the head of the Catholic Church in this area is so vocal and brave and out there, always thinking of how to help the woman face an unplanned pregnancy.”

Ruth Tisdale executive director, Advice & Aid Pregnancy Center

Archbishop Naumann completed his first all-parish tour of the archdiocese on March 27. May

Archbishop Naumann’s first dedication of a free-standing eucharistic adoration chapel on May 28 at St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee.

On June 29, Archbishop Naumann received the pallium from Pope Benedict XVI in Rome.

On Feb. 18, the first cohort of permanent deacons in the archdiocese began formation and studies.

The newly formed Archdiocesan Pastoral Council met for the first time on March 16.

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

Archbishop Naumann leads a rosary in front of Planned Parenthood in Overland Park in 2017. The archbishop frequently led rosaries and prayers in front of abortion clinics in the archdiocese.

ON THE ROAD WITH ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann takes part in the procession at the beginning of Mass at the Sanctuary of Fátima on July 30, Youth Day but said he was even more grateful to be with his flock from northeast Kansas.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY LORI WOOD HABIGER

Samantha Gast, a kindergartner at Sacred Heart School in Ottawa, seems a little apprehensive about approaching Archbishop Naumann in this 2011 photo, as teacher Lisa McSwain tries to encourage her.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY LORI WOOD HABIGER

Students at Our Lady of Unity School in Kansas City, Kansas, surround Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann during a 2010 tour of the school. It was named the 2010 School of Excellence by the Catholic Education Foundation.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY LORI WOOD HABIGER

With the image of Blessed Carlos Acutis in the background, Archbishop Naumann addresses the youth in attendance at the 2022 junior high youth rally at Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Naumann distributes Communion during a 2023 Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in St. Marys. The archbishop was at St. Marys to bless the parish’s new eucharistic adoration chapel and grotto.

Archbishop Naumann prepares to drop game between the Tulsa Oilers and the was the guest of Mavericks’ owner Lamar

Archbishop Naumann more than 1,500 Catholics Center. Delegates took

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

He enjoyed the time he spent with his fellow bishops at World

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann

incenses the Blessed Sacrament during Benediction in front of St. Benedict Church in Atchison as part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage that crossed the country from the West Coast, passing through several spots in the archdiocese before making its way to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE MCSORLEY

Archbishop Naumann walks through the streets of Czestochowa, Poland, with archdiocesan seminarians and religious after a Mass at Our Lady of Czestochowa as part of World Youth Day in 2016.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY LORI WOOD HABIGER

Archbishop Naumann is all smiles at the Pitching for Priests softball game in 2015. The annual game pits priests from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas against priests from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

the puck at the start of a 2016 hockey Kansas City Mavericks. The archbishop Lamar Hunt Jr.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

incenses the altar at the Enflame convocation in 2019. The event drew Catholics from all corners of the archdiocese to the Overland Park Convention took the knowledge from the convocation back to their parishes to share.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

At the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Naumann, with the assistance of Father Anthony Saiki (bottom right) and Michael Rebout (left) prepares to light the Paschal candle during the 2022 Easter Vigil.

‘HE HAS SUCH A LOVE FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION’

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Since the moment he was installed as archbishop in 2005, there was rarely a dull moment in the life of Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.

“The one thing everyone should know about Archbishop Naumann,” said Msgr. Stuart Swetland, president of Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, “is how dedicated he is.

“He’s a prayerful man, but he’s the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. He keeps an incredibly rigorous schedule, and he’s everywhere.”

A major priority of Archbishop Naumann’s ministry was Catholic schools.

Leaders in education said his support made a significant impact on the

April 2011

Archbishop

vitality of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

“He just made time by being present, by going,” said Kathy O’Hara, superintendent of schools from 2003-19.

“He talked about the importance of Catholic schools,” she continued, “and how they were one of the best ways the church had to help parents pass the faith on.

“With his words and his actions, he was always very supportive.”

Faith in education

During a typical year, Archbishop Naumann visited every archdiocesan high school twice — once to celebrate Mass and another time to lead eucharistic adoration.

“All-school eucharistic adoration is

September 2011

one of the most beautiful days we have at St. James Academy [in Lenexa],” said St. James president Andy Tylicki.

“To see students surrounding Archbishop Naumann in prayer at the altar is a special scene,” he continued. “Those days have a lasting impact on our students and staff.”

Afterward, the archbishop would sit down with a small group of students.

“He gets to see what the students are doing at the school, what their successes are, what their challenges are,” said Vince Cascone, superintendent of archdiocesan schools.

“He talks with them about what the next steps are after they graduate high school and talks to them about the faith,” he added.

The archbishop opened his home each year for Mass and dinner with the high school presidents and principals,

2012

said Tylicki.

“The conversations we have those evenings are always so fruitful,” he said. “You can tell he cares deeply about

>> Continued on the next page

2013

Made first “ad limina” visit to Rome as archbishop in March.

LEAVEN

PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann speaks to children at St. Gregory the Great School in Marysville in 2022 after it was named the Catholic Education Foundation’s School of Excellence.

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD Children rush up to give Archbishop Naumann high-fives during a school visit. Archbishop Naumann has been a champion for all levels of Catholic education, from preschool through college.

Archbishop made sure education wasn’t an ‘elitist’ opportunity

his schools and the people that work in them.”

Archbishop Naumann also spoke openly with students during his grade school visits.

“It’s really enjoyable to see him interact with the students and for them to be able to talk with and ask questions of their shepherd,” said Cascone.

“I think he loves that more than anything,” he added. “His mom was a teacher. He has such a love for Catholic education.”

Archbishop Naumann’s dedication to passing on the faith through education was evident to Stephen Minnis, president of Benedictine College in Atchison.

The archbishop frequently attended the college’s Symposium on Transforming Culture, fireside chats with theology and philosophy majors, and the Baccalaureate Mass.

He also brought the school’s OCIA students into the Catholic Church on Divine Mercy Sunday.

“When you have an archbishop that is as active as he is, and especially as active on campus as he is, I think it demonstrates a lot,” said Minnis.

And the students cherished those visits, he added.

“They have more interaction with Archbishop Naumann than they probably do their own bishop in their own diocese,” said Minnis, “because he’s here more and he’s personal to them.

“And I think our students are proud that the archbishop loves Benedictine College and loves them and cares for them. It really means a lot.”

Opportunities for all

Michael and Patty Morrisey, leaders of the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) for years, were always impressed by Archbishop Naumann.

“During our time with [the] archbishop,” said Michael, “he made it abundantly clear that if there was anything he could do to assist us in moving the Catholic education mission forward, all we had to do was let him know.

“If his schedule allowed, he was always there supporting the mission.”

Since 1997, CEF has distributed more than $33 million in scholarship awards for K-12 students so they can attend Catholic schools.

The archbishop eagerly joined the mission to “ensure that Catholic education is not an elitist opportunity in the archdiocese,” said Michael.

He “had a soft spot in his heart” for those less fortunate, said Patty. “He is a larger than life man that has the ability to relate to all around him.”

Providing a faith-based, higher education for students who might not otherwise have access is the mission at Donnelly.

“And Archbishop Naumann has been incredibly supportive of this mission and of our work,” said Msgr. Swetland.

“Quite frankly, I don’t think Donnelly would be here as a college without the support he gave it over the time that he’s been archbishop.”

The archbishop regularly visited Donnelly, attended board meetings and was present for special events like graduations and the school’s annual SHINE fundraiser.

With the archbishop’s support, Donnelly transformed its campus and has grown steadily over the years. Its largest class of 133 graduated last year, and 106 of those young men and women were first-generation college students.

The diploma they receive is a ticket to a brighter future.

“That is transformative for the families and individuals involved,” said Msgr. Swetland, “because it really is an entry into American economic and social success.”

Archbishop Naumann has also played a role in the growth of Benedictine.

“When he became the archbishop, we had 900 students,” said Minnis. “And now it’s 2,200.

“We’ve built 14 new residence hall buildings, six new academic buildings, a new dining hall, a new student recreation center. All of these things happened after he became the archbishop.”

Up to the challenge

Archbishop Naumann faced his fair share of challenges over the years, said Cascone.

“He has a way of addressing it with a level of calm,” he said. “He’s been through so many different situations and scenarios, and he’s very good at

looking at the big picture.”

O’Hara said the archbishop was always prayerful in how he handled issues.

“He’s not afraid to make the right decision even though it might be difficult and it might bring a lot of negative attention,” she said. “I think he’s courageous in that way, and I also think that’s a sign of humility.”

Both superintendents looked up to the archbishop as a leader.

“He was just extraordinary in that he was supportive, trusting, respectful,” said O’Hara. “It was an absolute joy to be able to have that experience with him.”

He was also a good listener, willing to change his mind after considering her input, she said. And he was respectful.

“He never, ever made you feel like you had really messed up,” said O’Hara, “even if you made a really big mistake.

“He always treated you with respect and dignity even when you probably could’ve done a better job.”

Heart of a father

When it comes to a moment with the archbishop that stands out, “I think I’ll remember this forever,” said O’Hara.

After a regional Catholic school Mass at Hayden High School in Topeka, Archbishop Naumann was standing in the hallway outside the gym.

“There was a mom there with a little tiny baby who was asleep,” said O’Hara. “The mom was talking to the archbishop and holding the baby.

“The archbishop put his finger down to touch the baby’s hand, and the baby was still sort of asleep but felt that

January 2015 2015 2018

touch and wrapped his hand around the bishop’s finger.

“And the bishop just stood there gazing at the baby and had the most tender look on his face. It was like everything else around him melted away.

“He really has a heart for children.”

O’Hara said the archbishop generously gave his time to the people around him.

And he always had a great sense of humor, she added.

“He can go from a meeting that’s very serious discussing very serious things,” she said, “and walk into another event and make a comment that’s humorous to break the ice.

“He was so wise.”

Personal impact

“My faith has grown so much just by being able to work with him and being able to work in the archdiocese that he has had such an impact on,” said Cascone of Archbishop Naumann.

“I often step back and [think] I am so blessed to be able to sit here and work with him, to sit here in adoration with him, to be [at] Mass with him, to let my faith grow alongside such a wonderful and holy man,” said Cascone.

For Minnis, working with Archbishop Naumann for the past 20 years has been a gift.

“He’s been an unbelievable mentor and friend to me,” said Minnis. “Him being the archbishop has been not only a blessing to the college, but a blessing to me personally.

“I’m just very honored to be in his archdiocese.”

November 2018

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Archbishop Naumann helps break ground on the new Donnelly College building. With the archbishop’s support, Donnelly transformed its Kansas City, Kansas, campus and has grown steadily over the years. Its largest class of 133 graduated in 2024.

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — It was the end of a seminarian pilgrimage, and the travelers were eager to relax on the long bus ride home.

But like parents everywhere, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann’s role as a spiritual father didn’t end when the day was done.

“On the bus ride, he met with every single seminarian,” said Kelly Kmiecik, administrative assistant for the archdiocesan vocation office. “They would come up and sit with him and have a very personal, beautiful conversation.

“We’re all tired. We’ve been going all day long. And here comes the next guy, and [the archbishop is] ready to care and pour into whomever . . . like he was the first person he talked to all day.”

Those moments on the bus were something Melanie Savner, who held the administrative assistant role from 2005-20, recalled fondly.

“I don’t even know how it started,” she said, “but a guy would come up and ask [the archbishop] if he could talk to him, and he said, ‘Sure.’

“One by one, the guys would come. He was as interested and engaged with the 25th seminarian as he was with the first one.”

It was astonishing for Savner to witness.

“Most people need downtime,” she said. “You need time when you’re not talking to someone. You need time with yourself to process things.

“He never gets that, and that stamina amazes me.”

Each summer, Archbishop Naumann joined archdiocesan seminarians on an annual pilgrimage.

His example shaped the vocations of those men who are now serving as archdiocesan priests.

It starts with him

Father Dan Morris, director of the archdiocesan vocation office, said the seminarian pilgrimage was created to

2019

Presided at the Enflame Our Hearts archdiocesan convocation, Oct. 3-5, at the Overland Park Convention Center.

fulfill multiple purposes.

One is for the archbishop to get to know the seminarians and vice versa. It’s also a chance for the seminarians to get to know each other.

The trips are either to other states, to World Youth Day in another country or within Kansas. The former two show the men the history and universality of the Catholic Church, said Father Morris.

During their travels, the group tours basilicas, shrines and other Catholic sites. In past years, the men also participated in a service project.

Father Morris said the archbishop’s presence was unique.

“We have one of the most accessible bishops when it comes to his desire to

January 2020

Made an “ad limina” visit to Rome in January, to meet with Pope Francis.

get to know our men and be able to be a true father to them and be there for advice, wisdom, counsel — any of those things,” said Father Morris.

“It’s not like he’s checking in with a couple activities that we do on pilgrimage,” he added.

Rather, the archbishop was typically there the entire time, traveling, touring, serving with and walking alongside the seminarians.

“I think it’s sacrificial,” said Father Morris. “But it’s also born from that desire of ‘I’m not going to be an absentee father.’

“The model of what he wants his seminarians and future priests to be starts with him.”

Adventurous at heart

In their roles, Kmiecik and Savner often attended seminarian pilgrimages to keep things running smoothly.

During one in Louisiana, Savner found herself on a boat in a swamp holding an alligator.

“I just handed it to [Archbishop Naumann] because the [guide had] handed it to me,” she said, laughing.

Archbishop Naumann was always up for an adventure, said Savner.

Like the time he went hiking in New Mexico, despite warnings from an experienced hiker of the trail’s difficulty.

“You’re on slippery gravel, loose dirt,

>> Continued on the next page

March 2020 2022

The archdiocese took unprecedented safeguards against the COVID-19 pandemic. The faithful were dispensed from the Mass obligation on March 17 and all public Masses were canceled. Schools canceled in-person classes and in April, the seminaries adjourned. Holy Week and Easter liturgies were canceled. Archbishop Naumann began live-streaming Masses from his home chapel.

Archbishop Naumann led the mobilization efforts for the “Value Them Both” amendment vote on Aug. 2.

COURTESY PHOTO

A group of seminarians pray the Stations of the Cross with Archbishop Naumann in 2017 while climbing the steep hill to the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, Colorado.

COURTESY PHOTO

The 2010 seminarian pilgrimage saw Archbishop Naumann climb the Rocky Mountains.

COURTESY PHOTO

Archbishop Naumann celebrates Mass in a Mexico City garbage dump where more than 1,000 people make their home and scavenge for a living.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY FATHER DAN MORRIS

A family receives a blessing from Archbishop Naumann at the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York, during the 2021 seminarian pilgrimage.

‘I very much appreciate what I saw modeled by him’

and you need someone to help you up a rock,” said Savner. “And he did it.”

Another time, out of a few activity choices, the archbishop selected mountain biking. One of the seminarians with him was now-Father Justin Hamilton.

“Justin commented that it was so cool to be riding a bike down the mountain with the archbishop,” said Savner. “The kid was in college at the time.”

Father Hamilton, now pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park, said Archbishop Naumann was an inspiration.

At World Youth Day in Madrid, the archbishop encouraged Father Hamilton and his fellow seminarians to have a prayer intention for the pilgrimage and offer up any sacrifices they made along the way.

“Having this perspective helped a lot when I found out that other seminarians were staying in a ritzy hotel,” said Father Hamilton, “and we were sleeping on a gym floor!”

Father Hamilton appreciated the archbishop’s humility and his willingness to travel with the group.

“He was very accessible on the seminarian pilgrimages I attended,” he said, “and I often found myself walking alongside him and carrying on casual conversations.

“This was a very powerful experience for me, especially as a new seminarian, because up to that point, I had limited interactions with bishops and almost never in a casual environment.”

As a seminarian, Father Luke Doyle, now chaplain of the KU Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and associate vocation director, was struck by Archbishop Naumann’s sense of humor, and the pride he had in the seminarians.

While studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, he told his fellow seminarians about going on a pilgrimage with the archbishop.

Those men were “shocked to hear that my archbishop went on a pilgrimage with his seminarians every year,” said Father Doyle.

“There were men in my class who knew that their bishop did not know them by name,” he continued. “I was blessed to be able to acknowledge that this was nowhere near my experience.

“My archbishop not only knew my name, [but] I had a personal relationship with him and had traveled with him to many holy sites around the country and the world.”

Father Doyle said those experiences with Archbishop Naumann have had a lasting impact.

“Now as a priest,” he said, “I very much appreciate what I saw modeled by him as I strive to be a spiritual father who is present and attentive to the men and women I am responsible for.”

Father figure

Kmiecik and Savner said that despite

his status, Archbishop Naumann never took a shortcut during a seminarian pilgrimage.

“The one thing that amazed me is, the truth is, [the] archbishop could’ve flown to and from these places,” said Savner. “And he would get on the bus and ride for 12 hours or 16 hours.

“With his grueling schedule, it’s amazing. And that alone, that’s an action that speaks.”

Father Scott Wallisch was also inspired by the archbishop’s commitment to do “the same tedious, exhausting things that everybody else was doing.”

“What the seminarians are going

through, he’s willing to go through to be with us,” he said, “because he knows that it’s not just being there in the location that’s important, but the journey is part of a pilgrimage.”

His example didn’t go unnoticed.

“I think that pays dividends in terms of the trust and relatability that his eventual priests have,” said Father Wallisch.

That level of presence has been a blueprint for other dioceses.

“So many bishops have been inspired to do something similar because of the fruit that has come from [the] archbishop’s time with his priests and seminarians,” said Father Wallisch.

May 2024 2024

On May 4, the

Seminarian pilgrimages

2009 – St. Paul, Minnesota

2010 – Denver

2011 – World Youth Day, Spain

2012 – New York/Canada

2013 – La Crosse, Wisconsin

2014 – Santa Fe, New Mexico

2015 – New Orleans

2016 – World Youth Day, Poland

– Colorado Springs, Colorado 2018 – Kansas City

2019 – Mexico City

2020 – Kansas City

2021 – Northeastern United States (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts)

“Early Church in America” theme

2022 – Wichita

2023 – World Youth Day, Portugal

2024 – Table Rock Lake/Branson, Missouri (leadership workshop)

Archbishop Naumann also had a profound impact on the lives of his own vocation team.

“I just grew to love him,” said Kmiecik. “He’s so fatherly. He’s so patient.”

It’s qualities like that, she said, that Archbishop Naumann passed down to the future generation of priests.

“I think they can’t help but be inspired,” said Kmiecik. “His love for them is evident.

“His love for the church, his ability to know them individually and love them as a father — those things really come through on the pilgrimage.”

2025

Behold KC eucharistic adoration event was held in conjunction with the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. It was part of the U.S. bishops’ threeyear national Eucharistic Revival.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage passed through the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas from June 24-29. Archbishop Naumann led multiple eucharistic adoration and prayer services. He also attended, with a contingent from the archdiocese, the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, from July 17–21.

Archbishop Naumann’s resignation was accepted by Pope Francis on April 8 after he submitted it to the Vatican upon turning 75 on June 4, 2024, as is required of all bishops.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Seminarians and other pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas participate in Mass at the Sanctuary of Fátima on July 30, 2023.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Father Dan Morris, archdiocesan vocations director, said that Archbishop Naumann always makes himself available to the seminarians during their yearly pilgrimages to offer advice, wisdom and counsel.

ARCHBISHOP’S VISION DRIVES MINISTRY GROWTH

By Joe Bollig Special to The Leaven

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — After assuming his office on Jan. 15, 2005, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann called the archdiocesan ministry leaders together and asked them to give him their mission statements and commentary about their focus.

He listened patiently to each of them . . . and then shook his head.

“He said, ‘I would encourage each of you to put the actual name of Jesus Christ in your mission statements,’” said Deacon Dana Nearmyer, who was

at the meeting. “None of us had that. Archbishop [Naumann] has been very focused from the very beginning, about explicitly using the name of Jesus Christ.”

Archbishop Naumann made it clear from day-one that Jesus was the foundation of his vision for building the kingdom of God spiritually in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

“[That meeting was] a real mile marker . . . for me of where we’re going and what we need to do,” said Deacon Nearmyer.

This focus on Jesus Christ has been Archbishop Naumann’s guiding star in his 20 years as chief shepherd. He often

urged Catholics to “have a personal relationship with Christ.”

“I would say that Archbishop Naumann has certainly undergirded all of his ministry with a spirituality of service and of love for Christ and others,” said Msgr. Tom Tank, former pastor and vicar general, now senior associate at Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park. “That truly has been the focus of his overall ministry in the archdiocese.”

Forming the flock

Troy Hinkel, co-founder and director of mission for the Holy Family

School of Faith, found a supportive leader and ally in Archbishop Naumann.

He, and co-founder Mike Scherschligt, were part of the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas in 2004, when thenCoadjutor Archbishop Naumann and Archbishop James P. Keleher came for a visit.

“[Archbishop Naumann] said he wanted what was happening there to happen in the archdiocese as a whole,” said Hinkel. “Also, St. James Academy [in Lenexa] was getting underway. He said we need to form teachers in the faith if they are going to succeed in passing it on. Those two things were the impetus in founding the Holy Family School of Faith.”

The Holy Family School of Faith, begun in 2004 — like the Institute of Religious Studies in Atchison before it — helped form all archdiocesan school teachers in the Catholic faith until that job was given over to the Seelos Institute for Catholic Education at Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas.

“Archbishop Naumann emphasized that we’re not running a private school system but a Catholic school system, and our first priority is the faith of our children, that they come to know and follow Jesus Christ,” said Father Brian Schieber, archdiocesan vicar general for the past 15 years. “And he wants our teachers to be authentic witnesses of the faith.”

Another major initiative was the Spiritual Mentorship Program begun in 2011. It was a dual effort by the Holy Family School of Faith and the Apostles of the Interior Life, a private association of the faithful.

Archbishop Naumann met one of the Apostles on a bus in Rome. When he learned more about the community, he invited members to the archdiocese to raise up “an army of spiritual mentors” to help people live more prayerful lives.

“So many Catholics had their values subverted by the culture, and relationships have suffered,” said Hinkel. “We realized if we’re going to address this, we have to teach people how to pray and receive the sacraments in a more holy way, and to improve their relationships with others. It fits the archbishop’s vision.”

“The archbishop recognized that we really have to empower the laity to accompany others in discipleship,” said

LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann blesses those who received their Spiritual Mentorship Program certificates on Jan. 13, 2019, at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The certificates represent the conclusion of two years of work.

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Hundreds of Catholics turned out for a live rosary with Mike Scherschligt, Archbishop Naumann and the Holy Family School of Faith in 2021 to pray the 1000th daily rosary for the School of Faith podcast.

Archbishop

speaks to the 1,500 Catholics who attended the “Enflame Our Hearts: Be Disciples, Make Disciples” convocation Oct. 3-5,

attending the

were being prepped to return to their parishes to convert new ideas into calls to action.

Strengthening marriages and families was one of his passions

>> Continued from previous page

Father Schieber. “Priests and religious cannot handle the demands of spiritual direction for everybody, so he started the Spiritual Mentorship Program. It has borne tremendous fruit in the archdiocese.”

The Holy Family School of Faith took over the Spiritual Mentorship Program, which has about 450 graduates, in 2020. The Apostles left the archdiocese in 2022.

With the support of Archbishop Naumann, the Holy Family School of Faith promoted several programs and events including rosary podcasts, rosary tailgate events and Take Back Sunday events.

“Archbishop Naumann was a true spiritual father and shepherd to his flock,” said Hinkel. “He did what a father does. He gave vision, direction, teaching, protection and love. He’s done it for me, the School of Faith and the archdiocese as a whole.”

Everything everywhere all connected

Everything Archbishop Naumann did for the archdiocese had a spiritual basis.

Often, these things were tied to and supported by other things: rural youth ministry and ReachKCK for the urban youth, marriage and family life programs, evangelization and strengthening

of parish life and families through Communio, City on a Hill for young adults (part of Holy Family School of Faith) and religious education programs like Totus Tuus.

“I would say Archbishop Naumann

had a vision for the development of the spirituality and overall life of the archdiocese,” said Msgr. Tank, vicar general under Archbishop Keleher and then under Archbishop Naumann from 2005-09.

“He’s accomplished that in a variety of ways, sometimes by initiating new programs and sometimes by being a cheerleader for various programs —

>> Continued on the next page

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

The third cohort of deacons was installed as lectors on June 3, 2018. The third cohort was the largest class ever, with 20 men ordained to the permanent diaconate in the June 20, 2018, ceremony at Holy Trinity Church in Lenexa.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Naumann

2019, at the Overland Park Convention Center. Delegates

convocation

Home-grown vocations were complemented by new orders

>> Continued from previous page

Christ Renews His Church, Journey and others. He’s really encouraged a lot of positive things and initiated new things like Encounter, Communio and the Enflame convocation.”

Convocations were held every other year starting in 2011, except for a pause during and following the years of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2012, the oneyear faith initiative “Love it, Learn it, Live it” was launched, followed in October 2019 by the biggest and most ambitious evangelization effort of them all: Enflame.

“Those [convocations] have been powerful moments when the church gathered,” said Father Schieber. “They were tremendous outpourings of the Holy Spirit to enliven the faith of the local church and set us on fire for mission. The one that stands out for me was Enflame, the convocation for evangelization.”

Another ambitious and far-reaching effort of Archbishop Naumann was forming the Envisioning Leadership team in 2015, tasked with helping him create the archdiocesan pastoral plan and 10-year mutually shared vision.

The mutually shared vision fleshed out its vision statement, “Growing as disciples of Jesus, making disciples for Jesus.” It had five overall pastoral priorities: conversion, evangelization, all forms of Catholic education, outreach to those in need and, finally, stewardship.

It also had three key initiatives (or super priorities), under which were several goals that were periodically revised.

The first was to “Build a culture of evangelization across the archdiocese”; the second was “Strengthen the vocation of marriage and family life”; and the third was “cultivate relationships by engaging the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.”

“A lot of the archbishop’s work building the kingdom of God have grown from those three super priorities,” said Father Schieber.

The whole church celebrated the Year of Mercy in 2015, but Archbishop Naumann found a way to make it continue as part of his mutually shared vision.

“The archbishop said we don’t want the Year of Mercy to be over and done when it was over,” said Father Schieber. “He said we want to continue to be a church of mercy.”

Archdiocesan parishes have been supportive of overseas missions, but the Year of Mercy inspired him to encourage unity by connecting suburban and urban parishes with a Parish Twinning Program, which is part of the third key initiative or super priority.

Workers for the kingdom

The cultivation of vocations is absolutely necessary for building the kingdom, and Archbishop Naumann encouraged the full range of vocations — for the laity, religious and clerics.

The foundation of the permanent diaconate was laid under Archbishop Keleher, but the first cohort (group) of men in formation began on Feb. 18, 2006, under Archbishop Naumann. These pioneering 17 permanent deacons were

Brother Israel of the Crucified Lord, PJC, speaks with a man outside of the Hope

ordained on April 9, 2011.

“He was fully supportive,” said Deacon Nearmyer, a member of that first cohort. “He spent a lot of time with that first class. We were figuring things out because we never had permanent deacons. [The] archbishop’s patience, courage and strong direction led our cohort to make a favorable impact. Several cohorts have now been through that process.”

The permanent deacons have been a blessing to the archdiocese through their work in various ministries and apostolates, he said.

“It’s wonderful to assist the priest at the altar, but the most important work a deacon does is outside the walls of the church. . . . [The] archbishop has pushed each of the deacon candidates to find what the Lord is calling him to do and to be salt and light.”

Archbishop Naumann has also

brought new communities of religious to the archdiocese, including the Apostles of the Interior Life, the Fraternity the Poor of Jesus Christ, the Community of the Lamb, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, the Sisters of St. Anne, the Medical Sisters of St. Joseph and the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

“We need more than ever the witness of religious Sisters and Brothers,” said Father Schieber. “The vows they take of poverty, chastity and obedience are a witness in our materialistic age. We need their witness. Each of these communities have different charisms that enrich the church.”

The young want to follow a strong leader, and Archbishop Naumann proved himself to be such a leader, especially in his promotion of vocations to the priesthood. He spent a lot of time getting to know and forming

I WOULD SAY THAT ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN HAS CERTAINLY UNDERGIRDED ALL OF HIS MINISTRY WITH A SPIRITUALITY OF SERVICE AND OF LOVE FOR CHRIST AND OTHERS.

MSGR. TOM TANK

SENIOR

seminarians, going on pilgrimages with them and giving strong support to vocation events.

“Another thing he did was to really strengthen unity in the presbyterate (the corps of archdiocesan priests),” said Father Schieber.

“And he strengthened the bond between the priests and their bishop,” he added. “When he first arrived, he met each priest individually for dinner and a Holy Hour at his residence. For his second round, he invited groups of priests for prayer and dinner.”

Archbishop Naumann accomplished much during his 20 years, and as he turns the archdiocese over to a new archbishop, he does so with his characteristic gratitude and humility.

“Archbishop Naumann is a good shepherd,” said Father Schieber. “He is humble and wise. I say humble because one side of humility is gratitude. I don’t think anyone expresses gratitude more than Archbishop Naumann.

“He was a great collaborator. He’s a wise and good shepherd, and we have been so blessed to have him as our archbishop.”

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Faith ministry, a day shelter at the corner of Admiral Blvd. and Virginia St. in Kansas City, Missouri, where many of those living on the streets gather, and invites him to the Christmas party and dinner. The Fraternity the Poor of Jesus Christ, the religious order that Brother Israel belongs to, was one of many religious orders Archbishop Naumann brought to the archdiocese to expand the reach of the church. The fraternity works with the homeless in some of the poorest areas in the Kansas City metro.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Archbishop Naumann “strengthened the bond between the priests and their bishop,” said Father Brian Schieber, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood. “When he first arrived, he met each priest individually for dinner and a Holy Hour at his residence.”

ASSOCIATE AT HOLY SPIRIT PARISH, OVERLAND PARK

MRS. NAUMANN’S SON

By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org

Archbishop Naumann often tells the story of his first day in kindergarten.

He was baffled by all the other children crying for their mothers.

Of course, the kindergarten teacher was his mother!

“As my mother explained,” he said, “I learned everything I needed to know in kindergarten — because she made sure of it!”

The lessons Louise Naumann taught her son extended far beyond the classroom. Her exemplary life of faith in action would form a core philosophy that he embraced and determined to pass on.

“As much as we might wish,” he would frequently tell parents, “we cannot protect children from experiencing difficulty, or even tragedy, in their lives.”

“However, if they form an authentic relationship with Jesus,” he continued, “then, no matter what happens to them, they will have access to the greatest source of strength, peace and joy.

“They will have confidence that Our Lord will draw forth good from life’s adversities.”

Grace under fire

In 1948, Louise Naumann began a journey the archbishop would later call “a heroic path of love” when her husband, working as a manager at a local store, was stabbed to death by a troubled employee.

It was a week before Christmas. Louise had an 18-month-old son and was pregnant with the future archbishop.

“My father’s sudden death dramatically changed the course of my mother’s life,” said Archbishop Naumann. “Her dreams had been shattered.”

But Louise had no heart for anger or revenge, and no time for self-pity. What she did have was her Catholic faith.

“Without my faith,” she often said, “I never would have made it.”

On June 4, 1948, she welcomed her second son and provided him a priceless gift — the name Joseph and a patron for life.

“She thought Joseph was a pretty good foster father for Jesus,” said the archbishop, “so he would be a good patron for me.

“I feel a special connection to Saint Joseph.”

Louise, Fred Jr. and Joseph lived in a two-family flat above her parents in South St. Louis. Despite the difficult road ahead, Louise never lost her trust in God’s love.

“This made a deep impression on me,” said the archbishop. “How faith helped her cope with the tragedy of my father’s death.

“She grieved his death but she still had hope. She had this belief that God still had a plan for her and for our family.”

Divine will

God’s plan took form when Louise received a St. Rose Philippine Duchesne scholarship to Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee.

Within three years, she earned a bachelor’s degree in education.

She also strengthened her devotion to

St. Rose and received a relic of the saint that is now preserved in the archbishop’s pectoral cross.

Louise’s career in Catholic education, first as an elementary school teacher and then as a principal, spanned more than 40 years.

In addition to teaching, Louise took care of her home and her children. She had a deep reverence for Mary and made time for a family rosary every evening.

“I am not sure how Mom made ends meet,” the archbishop reflected. “She rarely spent anything on herself. Her ‘social life’ was being an active member in our parish Legion of Mary group.”

Indeed, Louise loved the spirituality and apostolic action of the legion, almost as much as she loved the Eucharist.

“When my brother and I were in high school,” recalled the archbishop, “Mom went to 5:30 a.m. Mass at a neighboring parish and came home to prepare breakfast for us.

“After getting us off to our respective schools, she attended 8 a.m. Mass with her students.”

Louise chose to go to daily Mass twice because she knew she would be focused on her students during the school Mass, and she needed time each day to be fully focused on the Eucharist.

Treasured memories

As the archbishop and his brother matured, Louise made sure they knew their father.

Fred Sr. had served in the military and was a promising catcher in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system.

“We were very proud of his military service in World War II and very interested in his abbreviated baseball career,” said Archbishop Naumann.

In the 1960s, the archbishop felt a call to the priesthood and entered seminary high school. He fondly remembers his mother making BLT sandwiches and “burnt brownies, usually” for fellow seminarians who visited the home.

At his ordination, he received a chalice from his mother. Into the cross at the

base, she had embedded the diamonds from her engagement ring.

“So it’s always a reminder to me of how my vocation as a priest was really the fruit of my mother’s and father’s vocation of Christian marriage,” he said.

When he was an auxiliary bishop in St. Louis and visited parishes to administer the sacrament of confirmation, parents of the newly confirmed would often ask him, “Are you Mrs. Naumann’s son?”

“And they would testify to the difference she had made in their lives,” he said.

A life well-lived

Louise Naumann received the St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Award in 2006 here in the archdiocese in recognition of her contributions to Catholic education and her devotion to St. Rose.

In 2018, St. Benedict’s Abbey presented the Lumen Vitae Medal to Louise and Archbishop Naumann for their outstanding witness of faith and service to the church.

“My goal always was to raise my boys as living monuments to their father’s memory,” Louise said on that occasion. “I feel like I succeeded in that. Because I think Fred is an exemplary example of what a Catholic husband should be, and I think Joe is a great example of what a Catholic bishop should be.

“I’m proud of everything he’s done.”

In June of 2020, at the age of 97, Louise moved from a care home in St. Louis to Villa St. Francis in Olathe.

The archbishop had been saying a daily rosary with his mother over the phone, but now with her so close, he was able to pray with her in person.

On Sept. 26, 2020, Louise died, as she had hoped, peacefully in her sleep.

“Whatever good I have accomplished in my ministry as priest and bishop,” said Archbishop Naumann, “it is the fruit of her influence and example.

“The title I’m most proud of is not priest, Reverend, Father, Bishop or Excellency, but as I’m known by her former students — as Mrs.

son.”

Naumann’s

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO

Louise Naumann and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann both received the Lumen Vitae (“Light of Life”) medal from St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison at the Abbot’s Table event April 7, 2018. The medal is given by the monks to recognize those who have followed Christ in service to his people and the church.

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO

Louise Naumann was a lifelong educator in Catholic schools. Her husband Fred was murdered in December 1948 while she was pregnant with her second son, Joseph.

UNPRECEDENTED TIMES CALLED FOR HISTORIC LEADERSHIP

By Therese Horvat Special to The Leaven

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — If there were a “how to” manual for bishops, no doubt it would feature chapters on managing crisis communications and responding to man-made and natural disasters. In the past, the manual would less likely reference governing a diocese through a worldwide pandemic.

From his personal and pastoral experience of COVID-19, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann would be an ideal candidate to write that missing chapter.

A man of profound faith and informed discernment, the archbishop demonstrated strong leadership throughout the rapid development and course of the coronavirus and the vaccines to counter it. He did this amid a sea of uncertainty and a storm of differing opinions. He applied his characteristic leadership strengths to navigate uncharted waters with hope and steadfastness to his ministry as shepherd of the people of northeast Kansas.

“Archbishop Naumann was excellent at keeping the most important things — the mission of the church and doing what was best for children, families and individuals — at the center of discussions and decisions,” said Vince

Cascone, superintendent of archdiocesan Catholic schools and division secretary for family and child formation.

Listener, learner, discerner

Dr. Paul Camarata, a member of the COVID Medical Advisory Committee that the archbishop consulted, agreed.

“The great thing about the archbishop,” said Camarata, “was that he realized his job was to be a true successor of the apostles — teaching, governing and sanctifying the faithful.”

Chairman of the department of neurosurgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center and clinical chief of neurosurgery at University of Kansas Hospital, Camarata recalls that the archbishop listened patiently and absorbed the information presented in the committee’s virtual meetings. Prayerful discernment followed to help him make the best decisions he could.

The archbishop turned to a range of experts, including the Medical Advisory Committee and the Archdiocesan Ethics Committee. He listened to people on all sides of the many issues

>> Continued on the next page

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

From the onset of COVID-19 to its winding down, Archbishop Naumann urged people to follow guidelines issued by the CDC and local and state health departments. He is pictured here at the Donnelly College Convocation in 2021 at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas, where participants continued masking, as recommended.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

When a vaccine to the COVID-19 virus was released, Archbishop Naumann received a shot and helped promote vaccination.

Archbishop advocated for reopening churches, then schools

>> Continued from previous page

that arose — masks, social distancing, disruption of celebration of the Mass, school closings, the vaccines, etc. From the outset of COVID-19 to its winding down, Archbishop Naumann urged people to follow guidelines issued by the CDC and local and state health departments. His columns in The Leaven encouraged readers to exercise prudence regarding their own health and concern for the common good — all in a spirit of charity.

Deacon Mike Moffitt of St. Paul Parish in Olathe and a member of the ethics committee, said he considers Archbishop Naumann remarkable for his ability to manage multiple responsibilities and challenges with calmness.

He said the archbishop encouraged dialogue among differing opinions in their committee meetings, then took back the input to pray on it.

“Everything he did was thoughtful and prayed over,” said Deacon Moffitt. “He was also a humble person who made you feel comfortable when you talked with him.”

Painful as the decision must have been to their pastoral and sacramental leadership roles, the archbishop and the bishops of Kansas announced cancellation of all public Masses and limitations to the numbers of persons attending baptisms and funerals. These restrictions were in effect from March 17 to May 9, 2020. Throughout this time, the archbishop fostered hope and used the challenges of COVID as a teaching opportunity.

Bearer of hope

Franchiel Nyakatura, educator and member of Our Lady & St. Rose Parish in Kansas City, Kansas, remembers the disbelief she felt when she first heard that Masses were suspended due to COVID.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she recalls. “Nothing could cause this to happen.”

When she tuned into the archbishop’s Sunday Mass broadcast from the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas, however, her hope was restored.

“I felt safe and secure in my faith because I saw someone familiar,” she explained. “Seeing Archbishop Naumann standing strong and elevating the host, I knew that everything was going to be okay.”

Leaven production manager Todd Habiger, who helped make possible the daily Masses via the archbishop’s Facebook page from the chapel of his home, agreed that the liturgies were uplifting. Moreover, the “Facebook” Masses introduced the archbishop to his flock in a more personal way.

Serving as director of Savior Pastoral Center and of the archdiocesan digital media center during the pandemic, Tim Chik credits Archbishop Naumann with identifying the need to offer these Masses and his willingness to use technology for this purpose.

In 2020, in addition to the Facebook Live Masses from the archbishop’s residence, the liturgies of Holy Week, Divine Mercy Sunday and the ordination of two priests were livestreamed. Chik, now of St. Louis, said that “this allowed the archbishop — as spiritual pastor of the archdiocese — to teach the Gospel to the faithful, to shepherd

them during this difficult time and to provide spiritual nourishment.”

“Technology was not the first language of the archbishop,” said Chik. But broadcasting the celebration of the Mass opened his eyes to the potential of technology in both worship and evangelization. The livestreamed Masses Archbishop Naumann offered for more than three months typically drew 2,000 viewers and sometimes more than 7,000.

Teacher, advocate

Required to lead on many different fronts, Archbishop Naumann used several opportunities during the pandemic to teach and to advocate, always from a faith perspective. He shared the knowledge gleaned from consultations with experts and from his own research. He explained the rationale behind his decisions. He modeled leadership by following the best practices espoused by public health officials — wearing a mask; limiting participation in major liturgical observances such as the May 2020 ordination; and being vaccinated.

He often identified spiritual silver linings behind the challenges COVID presented. Early on, Archbishop Naumann invited people to think of the pandemic as a moment to “get off the treadmill of our overscheduled lives and to focus our undivided attention on those we love the most.”

He viewed the imposed isolation as an opportunity for people to open their hearts to God, to become more prayerful and to deepen their appreciation for privileges taken for granted, such as the Eucharist. He suggested that the pandemic presented an opportunity for Catholics to evangelize as witnesses of hope and joy.

In communications with civic officials, Archbishop Naumann emphasized the importance of Catholics being able to attend Mass. He had the foresight to recognize that the economically

disadvantaged would be the hardest hit by COVID, and he stressed the responsibility to assist those who suffered negative impacts.

Likewise, he anticipated mental health concerns that could stem from isolation and economic pressures. In the spirit of his messages, archdiocesan offices and ministries responded to widespread and diverse needs. This included a group of priests who volunteered to be trained to serve as COVID19 chaplains in hospitals that did not have priest chaplains and to hear confessions and anoint the sick in designated regions of the archdiocese.

Delegator, giver of thanks

Through individual conversations and meetings of the Administrative Team, leaders across all areas of the archdiocese remained attuned to the archbishop’s sense of the mission of the church. Cascone says that as he did throughout his time in office, Archbishop Naumann trusted those he had hired to make decisions.

The archbishop also provided tremendous support and gave credit where credit was due. Cascone believes it was a source of joy and pride for the archbishop that archdiocesan schools reopened for the entire 2020-21 academic year.

“He repeatedly said how proud and grateful he was of our teachers,” Cascone said.

The archbishop often expressed gratitude to the ministries and roles that helped sustain the faith life and services of the church across the many months of the pandemic. These included priests and lay leaders in parish communities, front-line health professionals, social service staff, youth ministers, catechists, educators and more. He readily acknowledged gratitude for the funding for parishes, schools and ministries received from the federal

Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. He said that these resources allowed ministries to proceed in the absence of weekly parish collections and permitted the church to honor its mission.

Steadfast leader, incredible ‘father’

From his eight years as a seminarian and from his unique perspective of being ordained during the pandemic, Father Anthony Mersmann values the archbishop as “an incredible spiritual father and shepherd.” This relationship and bond were fully realized and crystallized during the May 23, 2020, ordination Mass.

“At the powerful moment of ordination, I experienced that my priesthood was anchored in the archbishop’s priesthood,” Father Mersmann said.

Now serving as associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee and chaplain of Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, Father Mersmann explained that he always felt at home and comfortable in his interactions and exchanges with Archbishop Naumann. He describes him as having a good sense of humor and as being a good conversationalist. He also was a calm and peaceful presence. The archbishop, he said, was consistent, grounded and steadfast.

“In a culture of sound bites and as someone who discerns really well, the archbishop delivered truth in a grounded way,” Father Mersmann said, elaborating that he didn’t resort to statements with shock value. Nor did he back down from addressing controversial issues even in the face of criticism.

Nyakatura agreed.

“He stood firm in teaching what he believed to be the truth in the church,” she said. “He valued and promoted the dignity of all persons.”

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

With the COVID-19 virus running rampant in 2021, Ash Wednesday looked different with masks everywhere and the ashes sprinkled on the tops of heads instead of being marked on the forehead with the sign of the cross.

ARCHBISHOP REFINED HISPANIC OUTREACH AS POPULATION GREW

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — “From day one, he told me that he really wanted to support Hispanic ministry,” said Father Pat Murphy, CS. It didn’t take long for Father Pat to realize Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann didn’t just talk the talk.

“I think one of the great examples is that early on in his time in Kansas City, he decided to go to Mexico and learn some Spanish,” said Father Pat. “That was a great symbolic gesture on his part.”

The archbishop spent around a month in Mexico, immersing himself in the culture and learning the language.

“And when he came back, he would work with a tutor,” said Father Pat, “especially when he would have to give a talk in Spanish.”

The archbishop’s dedication inspired Father Pat, a Scalabrinian priest who was the animator for Hispanic ministry for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas from 2003-13.

When Father Pat arrived in the archdiocese just a year before Archbishop Naumann, there were five parishes with Hispanic ministry, and when he left, there were 10.

Now, 12 parishes have active Hispanic ministry thanks to the support of the archbishop.

Meeting the need

During his years as archbishop, the landscape in the archdiocese changed significantly, with many more Hispanic families living in northeast Kansas, as well as individuals who were born or grew up here and are bilingual.

Archbishop Naumann adapted by leaning on the team of people around him.

Father Pat was tasked with organizing formation programs for leadership and building up infrastructure to better reach out to Hispanics.

He was also added to the archdiocesan personnel board by Archbishop Naumann.

“And he would always ask at the meetings, ‘How does this decision affect Hispanic ministry?’” said Father Pat.

“He’d always try to find the resources that we needed to develop the ministry,” he continued. “I always felt if there was a problem, I could go talk to him.

“If he had a situation that needed handling, he could talk to me.”

In 2021, a new position — episcopal

vicar for ministry to Hispanics — was created in the archdiocese.

Father Michael Hermes, pastor of St. Paul Parish in Olathe, held the role until the beginning of 2025, when it was taken over by Father Oswaldo Sandoval, pastor of Our Lady of Unity Parish in Kansas City, Kansas.

And in recent years, the archdiocese has worked to integrate Hispanic ministry into all areas of archdiocesan outreach.

It’s added Spanish-speakers to multiple chancery offices, including the evangelization office and the office of marriage and family life, as well as ReachKCK, a youth outreach ministry in Wyandotte County.

“Today, several offices offer evangelization programs, preparation of families and marriages, formation of young people and preparation of quinceñeras,” said Father Ramiro Sanchez Chan, CS, director of the archdiocesan office of Hispanic ministry since 2021.

“And this step, with some that will come in the future, will make a Hispanic ministry more alive,” he added.

Another significant move occurred in 2023, when the archbishop handed over leadership of Church of the Holy Cross in Overland Park, a predominantly Hispanic parish with parishioners

from multiple nationalities, to the Scalabrinians.

Father Abner Ables, CS, is the current pastor, and Father Marcos Lopez, CS, is the associate pastor.

“Archbishop Naumann was very enthusiastic about giving us the opportunity to serve in the parish of the Holy Cross,” said Father Ramiro.

“He has always been aware of our work in the parish,” he said, “and at the same time, he has also been aware of our well-being as missionaries.”

Memorable moment

Father Pat has fond memories of his time working with Archbishop Naumann, particularly his sense of humor.

During confirmation Masses at predominantly Hispanic parishes, the archbishop would often say a few words in English and ask Father Pat to translate.

“And so, I would translate it in my own little way,” said Father Pat. “[The] archbishop is kind of stoic, so he says things in a very dry way.

“And I would juice it up a bit, and people would laugh. After about three times, he said, ‘I didn’t know I was so funny in Spanish.’”

Eventually, the archbishop said, “I’m going to say a few words in English, and Father Pat will interpret my words.”

“He had a very good spirit about it,” said Father Pat.

Heart of a shepherd

Father Ramiro has appreciated the archbishop’s approachability and genuine heart for the people he serves.

“In addition to his openness and his willingness for Hispanic ministry,” said Father Ramiro, “I believe that Archbishop Naumann’s legacy has been that of a pastor who cares for his flock.”

He sees the archbishop’s legacy as that of a leader and someone who walked alongside his people to ensure they were well taken care of.

“It is the legacy of a great archbishop,” said Father Ramiro, “not only because of his physical height, but also because of the great size of his heart as a bishop who has known how to carry out with love and commitment the work that the Lord has entrusted to him.

“[He is] an example to follow of a servant of Christ who has known how to win the affection of his

and serve it.”

archdiocese

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

As the Hispanic population in the archdiocese continued to grow, the archbishop supported the introduction of programs for Spanish-speaking people.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

The archdiocese has 12 parishes with active Hispanic ministry thanks to Archbishop Naumann. He would always ask at personnel board meetings, “‘How does this decision affect Hispanic ministry?’” said Father Pat Murphy, CS, former animator for Hispanic ministry in the archdiocese.

A ‘POWERFUL WITNESS’ AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY

By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — He is widely known for his leadership in the pro-life movement in this country.

But pro-life advocacy in the Catholic Church is not limited to opposition to abortion.

Donna Schneweis, board chair of the Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty, relies on the support of Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann in her advocacy against capital punishment.

“He’s a very powerful witness,” she said.

The archbishop has been able to offer such compelling testimony against the death penalty because, as the son of a murder victim, he has a unique understanding of the hardships that descend on a family after the loss of a loved one to a brutal crime.

He also understands that taking another life does not heal the pain, but often stokes the anger.

Fred Naumann was 31 when he was murdered. He left behind a young son, named after him, and his wife expecting another son, who would be named Joseph.

This tragic family history has shaped the archbishop’s opinions on human dignity — from the unborn to the underprivileged, from the infirm to those on death row.

As chairman of the committee on ProLife Activities of the U.S. Conference of

Catholic Bishops, he called for a halt to federal executions that had resumed under the first Trump administration.

In an interview with “EWTN ProLife Weekly” in 2021, Archbishop Naumann asserted that we’re all made in the image of God, and Jesus came to redeem everyone, even the violent criminal.

“From the cross, [Jesus] was still forgiving his executioners,” he said. “Once we understand that we need God’s mercy, then we want to extend that mercy to others.”

Reflecting on his own father’s murder the archbishop said, “It was a tragedy that affected the trajectory of our family life for decades.”

Yet despite that tragedy, his mother Louise Naumann maintained a deep faith — and raised the archbishop and his older brother to have that same faith.

“I think what I really learned from my mother was not to allow herself to be consumed with anger at this,” he said. “And I’m so grateful to her, because she never focused on that for my brother and me.

“She wanted us never to take on the role of a victim.”

Sister Therese Bangert, social justice coordinator for the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, said the archbishop, just by his impressive stature, commands a certain attention.

“So when he comes to the Legislature, there is a presence there,” she said. “And when asked to support the efforts

to get rid of the death penalty as a law in our state, he always responded.”

Sister Therese is grateful for the archbishop’s willingness to speak from personal experience.

“People are vulnerable when they share those stories,” she said. “I don’t care how long it’s been, this is still a part of his life that’s a painful wound.

“Yet, he has been willing to share that through the years.”

The archbishop never presumed to speak for all victims of murder in advocating for the abolition of the death penalty.

“It is not my intention to minimize the pain and loss of individuals and families who have suffered the death of a loved one as a result of a violent crime,” he said in a video published by the Catholic Mobilizing Network.

He contends the solution is more support for victims of violent crime.

His mother had a supportive family and a strong parish community who stepped in to help when his father was killed.

“We need to do the same for every mother,” he said.

The archbishop acknowledges the responsibility of the criminal justice system to deter the commission of brutal crimes.

However, he said that in the United States, “We have the ability to protect society from violent criminals without resorting to the death penalty.”

Archbishop Naumann often lamented the possibility of executing

an innocent person. As recently as July 1, 2024, Larry Roberts in California became the 200th person exonerated from death row since 1973.

He also points out the revictimization of families amid lengthy appeals processes, and the cost of maintaining those appeals processes.

That in itself presents a social injustice issue.

“Those with the financial means to employ the most skilled attorneys in their defense are much less likely to be executed than the poor,” he said.

Schneweis has seen the archbishop’s activity before the Legislature, giving testimony and speaking at press conferences, as well as witnessing to the general public.

“As a murder victim’s family member,” she said, “his witness and statements are about not being vengeful, but offering a different vision to the world of what it’s like to walk that journey that he and his brother have had to walk.

“There is a way you can do it that doesn’t require another death.”

Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN) is a national faith-based movement working toward restorative justice through education, advocacy and prayer. Its tagline is: “End the death penalty, advance justice, begin healing.” CMN works in close collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. To join the network, go online to: Catholicsmobilizing.org and click “Get Involved.”

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

The archbishop has been able to offer such compelling testimony against the death penalty because, as the son of a murder victim, he has a unique understanding of the hardships that descend on a family after the loss of a loved one to a brutal crime.

‘I

WAS IN PRISON AND YOU CAME TO VISIT ME’

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — It’s a moment that’s stuck with Little Sister Stephanie for nearly a decade.

She and her fellow Brothers and Sisters of the Community of the Lamb were visiting the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex (KJCC) in Topeka with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.

As the archbishop prepared for vespers, Little Sister Stephanie noticed how beautiful his vestments were.

“He told the inmates that these were the vestments that he would wear when

he goes to visit the pope,” she said.

“And I remember that the young men were really touched to hear that,” she continued, “because they know about the Holy Father. They know who he is.

“They were really moved to hear that the archbishop would give them the same honor that he gives the Holy Father.”

Archbishop Naumann has made an annual visit to KJCC, a medium- and maximum-security complex for young men and women, with the Community of the Lamb since 2013.

It’s just one of the prison facilities in northeast Kansas he made a priority to visit during his time as archbishop.

Father figure

The stark contrast between the archbishop and his surroundings wasn’t lost on Little Sister Candice during her first visit to KJCC.

“I remember thinking that this big, tall bishop and his fancy vestments [are] going to be very intimidating,” she said. “That’s what I had expected for the youth.”

She was impressed by how natural their interactions with him turned out to be.

“They really wanted to ask questions that were from their heart,” said Little Sister Candice. “I remember that they

weren’t shy.

“I think it’s also because once he starts talking to them, they see that he’s really like a dad or a grandpa.”

Archdiocesan photographer Jay Soldner has witnessed many powerful moments between Archbishop Naumann and people from all walks of life.

Those interactions are no different inside prison walls, he said.

“The archbishop acts the same way he would if he were at a school or any other event, visit or venue,” said Soldner. “He just is who he is. He doesn’t fake anything. He doesn’t act any differently.”

Showing up to prison with the

>> Continued on the next page

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Naumann confirmed and baptized several inmates at the Lansing Correctional Facility in 2023.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Waiting for the guard on the other side to open the door, Archbishop Naumann and John Hewitt, Donnelly College Lansing Correctional Program director, visit before the next security checkpoint.

NAUMANN

Educational programs offered many offenders a second chance

>> Continued from previous page

archbishop has certainly been a unique experience for Soldner, who’s accompanied him to KJCC and the Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF).

“Walking through the yard at Lansing, with everyone out of their cells enjoying recreation time, was surreal,” he said. “The entire experience as a whole is quite an emotional ride.”

The photographer has witnessed Archbishop Naumann singing “Happy birthday” to a 14-year-old boy, who Soldner could see wiping his eyes through a small glass window of the door he was confined behind.

“Once, he was speaking to an inmate at Lansing,” said Soldner. “At that time, the inmate had a little more than a year left in prison.

“[The] archbishop told the man to come visit him when he’s out.”

Steadfast supporter

Long after the archbishop walks out of a prison, the ripple effect of his visit continues.

“I hear from the youth afterwards about how important and special it makes them feel [that] a Catholic archbishop will take time out of his busy schedule to come and spend time with them,” said Father Joseph Chontos.

Father Chontos has served as KJCC’s chaplain for the past 20 years.

He ministers to the residents’ spiritual and religious needs by distributing religious materials, hearing confessions, providing pastoral counseling, making death notifications and more.

“Much of my time each day is spent making chaplain visits to the living units,” he said, “and that can be three to four hours each day.”

Archbishop Naumann has been a key supporter of the priest’s work.

“He regularly asks about how the ministry is growing and developing,” said Father Chontos. “He has always expressed his belief in the importance of the ministry to the incarcerated juveniles who come from all over the state of Kansas.

“He always thanks me for inviting him to ‘my parish.’”

During his visits, the archbishop welcomes questions from the youth.

“They can be very impulsive,” said Father Chontos. “So often, they don’t always think first before they ask a question or make a statement. And yet, the archbishop takes it all in stride and makes them feel comfortable and relaxed in what they say or ask.

“He is good at bringing humor into the context of his answers and his visiting.”

Father Chontos said the young people are also eager to visit with the archbishop individually.

“So many are estranged and distant from their religion or church,” he said, “and are nonpracticing in whatever religion with which they identify.

“They always ask the archbishop to pray for them, for their families — especially sick family members — for their cases and for their own personal needs and struggles.”

Second chances

During a recent visit to LCF, John Hewitt overheard Archbishop Naumann tell the men that his father had died.

The number of participants has skyrocketed in recent years since the U.S. Department of Education launched the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative in 2015 to provide grants to people in state and federal prisons.

The archbishop has been supportive of the program, clearing his schedule to attend its graduation ceremonies at the prison.

“He walks around, he greets each of [the graduates], and talks to their families,” said Hewitt, who believes educational opportunities like Donnelly’s program can make all the difference.

“Statistically,” he said, “that’s what most programs show — that out of people that finish degrees, the higher the degree, the lower the recidivism rate.”

Mercy of God

It’s been around 10 years since Archbishop Naumann asked Deacon John Stanley to serve as prison ministry coordinator for the archdiocese.

“His support and commitment have been amazing,” said Deacon Stanley, who is responsible for recruiting volunteers for each of the prisons and larger jails within archdiocesan borders.

“He has given me a budget to assure the inmates have rosaries, Bibles, missals and devotionals,” said Deacon Stanley.

“He has encouraged prison officials to allow retreats, and — most importantly — he has committed himself to celebrate the Mass and sacraments of initiation on a regular basis at each of the prisons,” he added.

The archbishop offers the sacraments of initiation to the men at LCF and women at the Topeka Correctional Facility (TCF).

Deacon Stanley said those who are incarcerated see him as their shepherd, and that his visits are often life-changing.

“The inmates know that the volunteers are not compensated,” said Deacon Stanley, “and they come to share their love of Jesus Christ and his church.

“The visits are a way to show the inmates that they are a part of the body of Christ.”

They also offer mercy to those rejected by society, said Little Sister Hallel.

“We have this great opportunity in the United States to be able to go into these jails, these prisons, and meet these people,” she said.

“Maybe society has pushed them aside, has kicked them out,” she continued, “but the church goes to them and shows them that Jesus hasn’t pushed them out, that God’s mercy is still there for them.”

Sister Stephanie believes Archbishop Naumann teaches the incarcerated a valuable lesson: “that there is a freedom within themselves that is beyond the locked doors of the prison,” she said.

“God gives them this freedom,” she continued, “even though they are behind locked doors.”

Father Chontos said many forget about the sanctity of the lives of those who are incarcerated.

Although the archbishop didn’t share the detail that his father was murdered, Hewitt felt the moment was poignant.

“It reminds me of St. Pope John Paul II, who went and forgave the man who shot him,” said Hewitt. “It’s beautiful.”

Hewitt has been the director of the

Donnelly College Lansing Correctional Program for the past three years.

The program offers men the opportunity to earn their associate’s degree in applied science and business. Since it was created in 2001, around 39 men have graduated.

But not Archbishop Naumann.

“The archbishop’s commitment to minister to incarcerated people shows how seriously he takes the corporal work of mercy to visit the imprisoned,” he said, “and to highlight the value of that Gospel call.”

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Naumann has made an annual visit to KJCC, a medium- and maximum-security complex for young men and women, with members of the Community of the Lamb, since 2013.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Archbishop Naumann confirms an inmate at the Topeka Correctional Facility for women. Father Joseph Chontos, who works in prison ministry, said many forget about the sanctity of the lives of those who are incarcerated, but not Archbishop Naumann.

CONSTRUCTION BOOMS UNDER ARCHBISHOP

By Joe Bollig Special to The Leaven

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann’s coat of arms has many symbols, including loaves of bread, a cross, a red rose and a carpenter’s square.

But it would have been appropriate for him to add one more item next to the carpenter’s square: a construction worker’s hard hat.

Archbishop Naumann, like every ordinary of the archdiocese dating back to the pioneering Bishop John Baptist Miege, has overseen the building of the church in northeast Kansas in both the spiritual and physical sense.

A great deal of construction had already taken place under Archbishop Naumann’s immediate predecessor, Archbishop Emeritus James Patrick Keleher. And when Archbishop Naumann succeeded him on Jan. 15, 2005, he continued the trend.

The things that have been built, added onto or renovated during his time as archbishop include eucharistic adoration chapels, the chancery, a college campus, college campus centers, camp facilities, churches, grottos and shrines, offices, parish halls, rectories, retirement/care facilities and schools.

Archbishop Naumann has always been supportive of construction projects, said Dan Himmelberg, former archdiocesan director of real estate and construction. It’s the parishes, schools and other entities that undertake these

projects, but ultimately approval comes from the archbishop.

“He’s been very supportive; he’s not been a roadblock at all,” said Himmelberg. “For the most part, he’s been

pro-construction so long as there was a need and a way to pay for it. In the time

I’ve known him . . . he’s had the same attitude for our rural communities as our urban ones.”

replacement

new

Himmelberg estimated that the insured

value of all archdiocesan

construction, renovation

PHOTO BY JD BENNING

Shovels are at the ready as Villa St. Francis in Olathe breaks ground on improvements to the facility. Pictured are: (from left) Patrick Karanja, Villa’s director of nursing; Jackie Hollis, Villa’s chief operating officer; Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann; Mary Bibler, Villa St. Francis and Catholic Community Health board cochair; Scott Heady, Villa St. Francis and CCH board cochair; Dan Himmelberg, former archdiocesan construction and real estate consultant; and Daniel Keelin, Villa’s director of maintenance.

PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Naumann blesses Msgr. Stuart Swetland, president of Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, at the dedication of the college’s new building. Its $34-million, three-phased, 10-year campus transformation project was completed in April 2022.

NAUMANN

Churches, schools and pastoral center all saw improvements

>> Continued from previous page

and the ever ubiquitous “miscellaneous” during the 20 years of Archbishop Naumann’s time here to be $265,704,000 (excluding Santa Marta retirement and care facility in Olathe and Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas), consisting of 653,828 square feet.

Historically, construction in the archdiocese occurred in stages: the founding pioneer stage with its mission parishes; the immigrant parish stage as various groups settled in the countryside and cities; a maturing stage up through World War II; a post-World War II boom stage; and — for want of a better name — the postconciliar stage (after the Second Vatican Council).

Even this last stage can be further subdivided when it comes to specific areas and decades, as in high-growth Johnson County, with expansion north of Interstate 435 versus later expansion to the highway’s south.

A lot of things fall under the archdiocesan construction hard hat, according to Himmelberg. This includes not only new construction, but renovations and ongoing maintenance and improvements.

For example, there have been several projects at Savior Pastoral and Retreat Center in Kansas City, Kansas, before and during the Archbishop Naumann years.

“[At Savior] in the last five years alone, we’ve renovated the parking structure and we did a complete rebuild of all the parking lots and sidewalks with handicapped accessibility,” said Himmelberg. “We put a new roof on the chancery and reroofs on the main chapel, and the recreation building.

Other examples of ongoing work are all the archdiocesan high schools have undertaken major, ongoing improvement projects and additions during Archbishop Naumann’s time.

The instances of parish consolidations have (but not always) led to the sale, repurposing or demolition of redundant or deteriorated parish structures.

“There was a dedicated fund in the One Faith capital campaign (the property revitalization fund) just for parish consolidation issues,” said Himmelberg. “That fund had $5 million. We’re just taking applications for the last round . . . so in three years, we’re going to implement all those — from demolition to badly needed repairs at 14 parishes.”

It can be difficult to get a full, complete picture of Catholic construction in the archdiocese because there are many kinds of work and there are different, independent corporate entities that aren’t strictly archdiocesan, but are Catholic or Catholic-affiliated.

One example is Donnelly College, which undertook a $34 million, threephased, 10-year campus transformation project completed in April 2022. Another example is the Santa Marta continuing care retirement community which has been expanding since it opened its doors in November 2007. Himmelberg estimated Santa Marta’s insured replacement value currently at $79,659,000.

The long-established practice in the archdiocese (and the United States as a whole) has been that parishes have been encouraged to build schools first and worship in temporary spaces, and

to build a church later. An example of this is St. Paul Parish in Olathe, which moved into its current campus in December 2018, but held a groundbreaking for its new church on May 11, 2024.

There have been 15 new churches built during Archbishop Naumann’s time, but most of these were for existing parishes that moved to a new campus or built a new church at an existing location.

Two new parishes were established under Archbishop Naumann, St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in Westwood in 2013, and St. John Paul II in Olathe in 2016. The former bought and remodeled a closed Lutheran church in 2012, and the latter has a temporary leased sanctuary until a new church is built.

New churches built during Archbishop Naumann’s years

2005: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Shawnee

2006: Divine Mercy, Gardner

2007: Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Topeka

2009: St. Francis de Sales, Lansing

2009: St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood

2010: Holy Angels, Basehor

2010: St. James, Wetmore

2010: St. Bernard, Wamego

2010: St. Ann, Effingham

2012: St. Stanislaus, Rossville

2013: St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, Westwood

2015: Holy Family, Eudora

2018: St. Patrick, Scranton

2018: St. Gregory the Great, Marysville

2018: St. Paul, Olathe

Projects new and remodeled

Eucharistic adoration chapels, new: 4

Churches, new: 15

Churches, renovated: 9

Offices, renovated: 2

Parish halls, new: 13

Parish halls, renovated: 2

Priests’ retirement home, new: 1

Rectories, new: 10

Rectories, renovated: 1

Schools, new: 1

Schools, renovated: 10

SOURCE:

PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas, has seen many improvements in the years of Archbishop Naumann. In addition to the new entrance, there are renovated parking lots and sidewalks, making them more handicapped-accessible.

EMPLOYMENT

Fourth grade teacher - Nativity Parish School in Leawood is seeking a fourth grade teacher for the 2025-26 school year. Applicants should email principal Luke Jennison at: luke.jennison@kcnativity.org.

Middle school ELA teacher - Nativity Parish School in Leawood is seeking a middle school ELA teacher for the 2025-26 school year. Applicants should email principal Luke Jennison at: luke.jennison@kcnativity. org.

Chief Operating Officer (COO) - The St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center in Lawrence, Kansas, is seeking to hire a full-time COO under the supervision of the director and chaplain. Responsibilities include overseeing fundraising strategy, financial management, facilities and non-ministerial staff while fostering a culture of excellence, trust and collaboration. This role requires strong administrative skills, a heart for the church and the ability to inspire benefactors and team members alike in advancing the center’s vision for growth and impact. For more information, go online to: https://kucatholic.org/jobs. To apply, send your resume, cover letter and three references to Father Luke Doyle at: frluke@kucatholic.org.

Liturgy coordinator - St. Michael the Archangel in Leawood is seeking a full-time liturgy coordinator to prepare liturgical ministers, spaces, and artifacts for church activities and liturgies. The successful candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing and is familiar with the roman Catholic liturgical tradition. The position requires strong organizational; administrative, inter-personal and communications skills; as well as the ability to work on Sundays. Send cover letter and resume to: kevin.vogt@stmichaelcp. org.

Campus minister - St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center in Lawrence is seeking to hire a full-time campus minister under the supervision of the director of ministry and mission. Responsibilities include one-onone meetings with students for structured mentor-ship; leading Good Company, the evangelization and outreach arm of the center, hosting belonging events for students; recruiting students; planning the welcome back BBQ; and administrative tasks. For more information, go to: https://kucatholic.org/jobs. To apply, send your resume, cover letter, and three references to Alli Petty: apetty@kucatholic.org.

Part-time assistant director - Holy Trinity’s Sacramental & Faith Formation Office is looking for a parttime assistant director. In this role, you will have the opportunity to collaborate in the development and implementation of sacrament formation and various parish programs. We are looking for someone who is excited to work with families and has a passion for helping families understand the sacraments. Hours can be flexible, but some evenings and weekends are required. A full job description can be found at: https://htlenexa. org/job-openings. If interested, please send a cover letter and resume to Elyssa Bradfield at: ebradfield@ htlenexa.org or call (913) 895-0673 with questions.

Facilities maintenance/landscaper - The Savior Pastoral and Retreat Center is seeking to hire a facilities maintenance/landscaper. This position will assist with a variety of custodial, maintenance and landscaping tasks for Savior Pastoral Center. For more details or to apply, please visit “Employment Opportunities” at www.archkck.org.

Preschool teacher - St. John Paul II Academy in Olathe is seeking a lead pre-K teacher for the 2025-26 school year. Join us for our inaugural year as we open a pre-K - 8 liberal arts school in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. The ideal candidate will have a background in early childhood education and at least one year of experience in the classroom. Montessori formation and experience are preferred. Hours are Monday - Friday from 7:30 - 11:30 a.m. Please direct all inquiries and submit cover letter and resume to: jennykropf@stjpii. org.

Staff job openings - Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not otherwise be served. Job openings: English literacy instructor - P.A.S.S. (Preparing Academically Successful Students) - part time. Find job descriptions and details at: www.donnelly.edu/careers.

Coordinator of Children’s Catechesis - part-time position - Are you looking for a rewarding part-time job in a team-oriented environment? St. Joseph Church in Shawnee is seeking an enthusiastic, organized and faith-filled individual to join our formation team. This role involves coordinating K to 6th-grade religious education for the parish and assisting in the growth of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program across our campus. Interested applicants should apply through the St. Joseph website or email a resume and cover letter to Veronica Quinn at: vquinn@stjoeshawnee.org. For more information, call (913) 244-3909.

Montessori training - Are you called to a deeper understanding of the full human person of the child? Dr. Maria Montessori developed her philosophy and method of education based on the dignity of the child. Mary’s Catholic Montessori Training Center (MCMTC) offers Catholic Montessori training for adult primary guides of children ages 3 - 6 years of age. Learn more at: https://www.mcmtc.org or email: info@mcmtc.org. Come and be formed in the whole of Maria Montessori’s teaching by a team of catechists and Montessorians with a wealth of teaching and training experience, including nationally recognized formation leaders of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Enrollment is now open for summer session beginning in June, and fall beginning in September, with a flexible training schedule. Find out more today!

Faculty and adjunct faculty job openings - Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, is a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not otherwise be served Faculty job openings - Nursing faculty, full-time evenings; nursing faculty, full-time M - F. Adjunct faculty job openings - Adjunct instructor nursing; Adjunct instructor Accounting; clinical adjunct instructor - nursing; - P.A.S.S. (Preparing Academically Successful Students) - part time. Adjunct faculty Lansing Correctional Campus - Adjunct instructor - math; adjunct instructor - accounting; clinical adjunct instructor - Find job descriptions and details at: www.donnelly.edu/careers.

Catholic elementary school principal - St. Matthew School in Topeka is seeking a dynamic and visionary leader with a passion for Catholic education. The principal will continue the school’s tradition of forming disciples, pursuing academic excellence and spiritual growth. The principal will lead by example and inspire a team of dedicated faculty and staff. Applicants must have or be eligible for Kansas licensure in educational leadership. We also prefer that the candidate be fluent in both Spanish and English. Apply online at: archkckcs.org/apply. For more information, contact Father John Torrez at: jtorrez@archkck.org.

Caregivers needed - Daughter & Company is looking for compassionate caregivers to provide assistance to seniors in their home, assisted living or in a skilled nursing facility. We provide sitter services, light housekeeping and light meal preparation, organizational assistance, care management and occasional transportation for our clients. We need caregivers with reliable transportation and a cellphone for communication. We typically employ on a part-time basis, but will strive to match hours desired. Contact Gary or Laurie at (913) 341-2500 if you want to become part of an excellent caregiving team.

Administrative assistant - Come join our team! A small family-owned company located in Lenexa is looking for an assistant to answer phones; invoicing; product ordering; some shipping/receiving and to assist the owner. We need a team member who is organized; detailoriented; self-motivated; trustworthy; has a positive attitude and above all else, gives excellent customer service. Schedule flexibility. Send your resume to: YourCareer101@gmail.com.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Shepaint Cabinets - Looking for a stunning, high-quality cabinet transformation? Shepaint Cabinets is a women-owned and operated business. I bring precision, passion and a personal touch to every project. Detail-driven service with a personal touch, reliable, efficient and customer-focused. Your dream kitchen is just a coat of paint away! Call/text (816) 806-4375 for a free quote. Let’s create something beautiful together!

J Heller Construction - A licensed and insured Class A general contractor. Residential and commercial projects. New build, basement finishing, kitchen and bath remodeling, decks, docks, outbuildings and commercial build-outs. Call Jake at (913) 433-6042. Member of St. Joseph, Shawnee.

STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 579-1835. Email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

Father and Son Home Remodeling - We specialize in kitchen/bathroom and basement remodeling, from start to finish. We also do decks, covered decks, porches, sun-rooms and room additions! If you’re not sure we do it, just call. From my family to yours, thank you for supporting my small business. To contact me, call (913) 709-7230 and ask for Josh.

Haus To Home Remodeling - Let’s give that room a nice face-lift! Specializing in affordable room remodeling. From small projects to bathrooms and basements. Tile, paint, carpentry, wood rot, decks, drywall, etc. Free estimates. Call Cole at (913) 544-7352.

SERVICES

Tutoring - Summer tutoring available from experienced teacher and tutor. Tutor teaches in a fun and meaningful context. For more information, please call/text Kathleen at (913) 206-2151 or email: Klmamuric@yahoo.com.

Cleaning, organizing - We are a mother/daughter team with 20-plus years’ experience! We do cleaning, organization, decluttering, etc. Call Joan Patterson at (913) 206-4403.

CZ Handyman service - 25+ years working in home improvement. Painting, carpentry, flooring, wood rot and much more. Quality work with attention to detail. Clean, honest and fair. Please call Craig at (913) 9899163.

Catholic end-of-life doula, grief coach and spiritual director - Feeling overwhelmed by grief, caring for aging parents, supporting a loved one at life’s end or just need a quiet space to notice where God is active in you life? I am Rhonda, a Catholic end-of-life doula, grief coach and spiritual director. I offer heartfelt guidance and prayerful companionship during difficult times. You don’t have to do this alone. Call me at (913) 954-8574, or visit: www.this-one-life.com.

Double A’s Lawn Service

Lawn mowing, Mulching, Gutters, Leaf Removal Brush Removal & Hedge Trimming Free Estimates & Insured

Catholic attorney - Offers wills, trusts and guardianship plans to shield your loved ones from court and conflict. Special pricing this month. Call Mike J today to be okay tomorrow. Contact me at: www.KCLegacy Law.com or call (913) 717-5951.

Joe’s Decks & More - Repairs and stains decks and fences and other minor repairs. Reasonable rates. St. Joseph Shawnee parishioner. (913) 449-9848.

Masonry work - Quality new or repair work. Brick, block and chimney/fireplace repair. Insured, second-generation bricklayer. Member of St. Paul Parish, Olathe. Call (913) 271-0362.

Garage door repair expert

New Garage Doors Garage Floor Coatings

A Total Door Inc., Since “83. Leaven discount joe@atotaldoor.com or (913) 236-6440.

Memory quilts - Preserve your memories in a keepsake quality quilt, pillows, etc. Custom designed from your T-shirt collection, baby clothes, sports memorabilia, neckties . . . Quilted Memories. (913) 649-2704.

Custom countertops - Laminates installed within 5 days. Cambria, granite and solid surface. Competitive prices, dependable work. Call the Top Shop, Inc., at (913) 962-5058. Members of St. Joseph, Shawnee.

Concrete construction - Tear out and replace stamped, stained or colored patios and drives. Retaining walls, footing, poured-in-place safe rooms, excavation and hauling. Asphalt drives and lots. Fully insured, references. Call Dan at (913) 207-4371 or send an email to: dandeeconst@aol.com.

Two men and a brush - Refresh, repaint, renew your home with painting you can trust! Call for a free estimate on your house, deck or fence! Bookings done before June 1 will receive 20% off. Call John at (402) 763-7244.

FOR SALE

Electric wheelchair Pride: Jazzy EVO Series 613 New 22” base width, holds up to 300 lbs. 17 miles per charge, high-back swivel seat $3,000. Call Lisa at (913) 449-9435

For sale - Two plots at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Lansing. Located in section 15, row 5, lot 14x, spaces 3 and 4. Traditional ground space. The original price is $2595 for each plot ($2257 plus $338 for perpetual care), asking $2200 each. Contact Ralph at (913)3064024 or email: grassman177@gmail.com or call (913) 306-6619.

Residential lifts - New and recycled. Stair lifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts and elevators. St. Michael’s parishioners. KC Lift & Elevator at (913) 327-5557. (Formerly Silver Cross - KC)

For sale - Aluminum wheelchair ramps. Sales and installation customized to your needs. Serving all of northeast Kansas. Call McCourt Construction at (785) 224-4961.

For sale - Trappist monk casket; rectangular, premium-shaped walnut with brass hardware. Stored at Resurrection Cemetery. Purchased January of 2010. Asking $4200; originally $5120 from Iowa monks. Email Jerry Novacek at: jerrynovacek1@gmail.com or call (913) 915-1598.

For sale - Mausoleum space for sale at Mt. Calvary Cemetery at 38th and State, Kansas City, Kansas. Located in the Mausoleum True Companion, corridor C, tier A, crypt 38. Includes perpetual care as well as opening and closing. For more information, call Jerry Novacek at (816) 532-4072.

For sale - Two cemetery plots in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery at 6115 Quivira Rd. Located in section G-1, space 7-A, and space 8-A. Asking $5000. If interested, send email to: jobralke@gmail.com.

For sale - Two cemetery plots at Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Lansing. Located in section 15, row 5, lot 14X, spaces 3 and 4. Suggested pricing below: Traditional ground space. Suggested pricing - today’s price is $2257.00 plus $338.00 for perpetual care. I am asking $2200.00 each. Email: grass man177@ gmail.com or call (913) 306-4024

REAL ESTATE

We are local people who can buy your house - Big companies from all over the nation come here buying houses, but that’s not us. We are parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish and we enjoy giving you personalized service. We can offer you a fair price and are flexible to your needs. If I can help, call me, Mark Edmondson, at (913) 980-4905.

Looking to buy or sell a home? - Buy or sell a home with someone who understands your values. We are a Catholic-owned, faith-driven team of Realtors, dedicated to helping fellow Catholics buy or sell homes in our community. We bring integrity, compassion and a commitment to your needs. Let us be part of your journey. Call Kevin Holmes (owner) at (913) 553-0539.

We buy houses and whole estates - We are local and family-owned, and will make you a fair cash offer. We buy houses in any condition. No fees or commissions and can close on the date of your choice. Selling your house has never felt so good. Jon & Stacy Bichelmeyer, (913) 599-5000.

CAREGIVING

Need caregiving at home? Don’t want to move?For nearly 20 years, we have helped seniors stay in their home with personal care, med management and household assistance. We also specialize in dementia care with free dementia training for families, all at reasonable rates and terms. Call Benefits of Home Senior Care at (913) 422-1591.

Caregiving - We provide personal assistance, companionship, care management and transportation for seniors in their home, assisted living or nursing facilities. We also provide respite care for main caregivers needing some personal time. Call Daughters & Company at (913) 341-2500 and speak with Laurie, Pat or Gary.

WANTED TO BUY

Wanted to buy

Do you have a spare car or truck that you need to get rid of? If you do, CALL ME! I’m a cash buyer. We’re Holy Trinity parishioners. My name is Mark. (913) 980-4905.

Will buy firearms and related accessories - One or a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid. Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee.

$$Paying Cash$$ - Antique Furniture, crocks, tin and cast iron toys, old tools, glassware, American coins, jewelry. Most anything old. Please call Patricia at (913) 515-2950.

Wanted to buy - Antiques & Collectibles: jewelry, military items, railroad, sterling, OLD holiday/toys and more. Renee Maderak (913) 475-7393. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.

Classified Advertising

Cost is $20 for the first five lines, $1.50 per line thereafter.

To purchase a Leaven classified ad, email: beth.blankenship@theleaven.org

VIRTUAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL ADVANCEMENT CONFERENCE

May 28 and 29 from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Join us for live, drop-in webinars on topics ranging from communication, marketing strategies, student retention, donor engagement, website development and more. This event is open to anyone looking to learn about advancing Catholic education. Register online at: archkckcs.org/ register.

‘SILENCE IS THE VOICE OF GOD’: A DIRECTED RETREAT

Precious Blood Renewal Center

2120 St. Gaspar Way, Liberty, Missouri

May 29 - June 1

A silent, directed retreat is a personally guided prayer experience over three days. Retreatants meet one-on-one with a trained, experienced spiritual director. For more details or to register, go online to: programs@pbrenewalcenter.org.

SUMMER STREAM CAMPS

Holy Cross Parish

8101 W. 95th St., Overland Park

June 2 - 27

A variety of camps is offered for incoming kindergartners through eighth-graders. For a short description of camp offerings, with dates and times, go online to: https:// holycrosscatholicschool.com/CurrentFamilies/summer-programs.

WILLS AND TRUSTS WORKSHOP

St. Joseph Parish

104 S. 7th St., Wathena

June 4 at 11:45 a.m.

The speaker will be Casey Connealy, estate planning attorney at Gaughan & Connealy. There will be refreshments and snacks from 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. The presentation on wills and trusts will be from 12:15 - 1:15 p.m. Register online at: cfnek.org/events or call Jane Schmitt at (913) 647-3060 or send her an email at: jschmitt@archkck.org.

BLESSED STANLEY ROTHER RETREAT

Spiritual Life Center

7100 E. 45th St., Wichita

June 6 at 6 p.m. - June 8 at noon

This retreat will explore the journey of Father Rother. Most of us will not be given the mission of pastoral services in Guatemala, nor be required to lay down our lives as witnesses to the faith in the face of murderous circumstances. Most of us are not invited to thread our way through life and death decisions to minister to people in our care. For more information and to register, go online to: www.slcwichita.org. The cost is $205 for commuters; $255 for a single and $235 for a double. Sign up by June 5 at 6 p.m.

CEF FUTURES PICKLEBALL

TOURNAMENT SERV

9051 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park

June 7 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Whether you are a seasoned player or

new to the game, grab your paddle and join the fun at the Catholic Education Foundation’s annual pickleball tournament! All proceeds support scholarships for students attending CEF schools in northeast Kansas. Registration is $100 per team (must be 18+), and includes round-robin play, tournament seeding and a commemorative gift. Teacher discounts are available. Register online at: cefks.org/events.

HEALING SERVICE

St. Patrick Parish

1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kansas

June 8 at 6 p.m.

The Encounter School of Ministry is having a healing service. There will be prayer, worship and anointing of the sick. The healing service can foster comfort, hope and a deeper connection to faith.

BREAKFAST WITH THE KNIGHTS

Divine Mercy Parish

555 W. Main St., Gardner

June 8 from 8:30 - 10 a.m.

Breakfast will include eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, waffles and drinks. Join us for great fellowship. The cost is $6 for those over the age of 13 and free for ages 12 and under. Proceeds are used for charitable works, such as scholarships and other giving throughout the year.

SOCCER CAMPS

Atchison Recreation Sports Complex

825 N. 17th St., Atchison

June 9-12

8:15 a.m. - 9:15 am. (ages 3 - 6)

9:30 a.m. - noon (ages 7 - 12)

St. Joseph School

11505 Johnson Drive, Shawnee

June 16-19

8:15 a.m. - 9:15 am. (ages 3 - 6)

9:30 a.m. - noon (ages 7 - 12)

The soccer camps will be coached primarily by Benedictine College players and coaches. For more information or to sign up, call (913) 360-0394 or send an email to: ggsoccercamps@gmail.com.

A LOVE THAT NEVER FAILS

Precious Blood Renewal Center

2120 St. Gaspar Way, Liberty, Missouri

June 13 - 15

Every marriage has the capacity for enduring love. Join us on the next Worldwide Marriage Encounter experience to discover the graces of the sacrament of matrimony and to explore the tools and daily practices that lead to enduring love. This is a nonresidential experience (no overnight stay). To apply for the experience, go online to: www.wwme4youandme.org. There is a $125 application fee and an opportunity for a freewill donation at the close of the weekend. Send an email to: greaterkc.wwme@ gmail.com for more information.

WOMENS COMMUNITY LUNCHEON

Divine Mercy Parish (CFC Hall)

555 W. Main St., Gardner

June 14 at 11:30 a.m.

All women are invited to a luncheon. The theme of the luncheon is: “Be patient” (from Eph 4:31-32). Emily Lopez from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas’ office of evangelization will be the guest speaker. Doors open at 11 a.m. and the luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. There is no cost for the lunch. Please RSVP by calling the parish office at (913) 856-7781.

ETHNIC FESTIVAL SUMMER FUNDRAISER

St. Mary - St. Anthony Parish (Bishop Forst Hall)

615 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas

June 14 from 4 - 8:30 p.m.

Father Peter Jaramillo SSA, will celebrate Mass at 4 p.m. with the festival to follow in the parish hall. Our goal is to raise $25,000 for general repairs on the church building and parish grounds. The festival will feature food celebrating our diverse cultural heritages: Irish, German, Latino and American items. There will also be a raffle with cash prizes, a 50/50 pot, a silent auction, a variety of games and wheels, including the always popular salami, beer and povitica wheel. New this year will be a grocery and gas gift cards wheel and farm fresh eggs wheel, a DJ, a bounce house and a candy wheel for the kids.

ROSARY RALLY

St. Pius X Parish

5500 Woodson Ave., Mission

June 15 from 3 - 4:15 p.m.

Please join us to honor Our Blessed Mother and Our Lady of Fatima. We will pray the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the rosary followed by Benediction and the opportunity for attendees to enroll in the brown scapular. For driving instructions or future dates for the Kansas City monthly rosary rallies, visit the website at: www.rosaryrallieskc.org.

FATHER MICHAEL KANTANKA’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY AS A PRIEST

St. Leo Parish

1340 First Ave. E., Horton

June 29 at 10 a.m.

Father Michael Kantanka will celebrate his 30th anniversary as a priest. The African Men’s Choir will perform at Mass. A meal will follow at noon. Please RSVP online to: smslchurch@ rainbowtel.net or call (785) 486-3971.

BAKED CHICKEN DINNER

Divine Mercy Parish

555 W. Main St., Gardner

June 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The dinner will include baked chicken, baked potato, green beans, coleslaw, roll and cookie. Join us for great fun and fellowship. The cost is $13 for those over the age of 10 and free for ages 9 and under. Proceeds are used for charitable works, such as scholarships and other giving throughout the year.

ENCOUNTER SUMMER INTENSIVE

Holy Trinity Parish (Quigley Center)

9150 Pflumm Rd., Lenexa

June 23 - 26 from 6 - 9 p.m. nightly

Eager to encounter the transforming power of Jesus alive and active today?

Join us for the Encounter Summer Intensive as we prepare and activate you to more fully participate in the supernatural lifestyle of Jesus Christ and further bring about the kingdom of God here on earth. The summer intensive is a four-evening experience that provides a taste of the lifestyle Jesus has available for every Christian disciple. The topics of each night reflect the teachings offered in the first four quarters of the Encounter School of Ministry: Identity & Transformation, Hearing God & The Prophetic Gifts, Power & Physical Healing, and Inner Healing & Freedom. For more information, go online to: Encounterschool.org/kansas-city.

EXPERIENCE A COMMUNITY WITH HEART

Santa Marta Retirement Community 13800 W. 117th St., Olathe Wednesdays from 1-2:30 p.m.

Join us and enjoy a small sample of what life is like at our community. On Walk-in Wednesdays, learn about the Santa Marta community. To RSVP or find a complete list of our upcoming events, call (913) 489-2683; visit the website at: SantaMartaRetirement.com/Events; or call (913) 489-2683 for more information.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS GRADE SCHOOL SUMMER CAMPS

St. Thomas Aquinas High School 11411 Pflumm Rd., Overland Park

May through early August

Our summer camps give students entering grades K - 8th the chance to discover their potential in both sports and other activities like STEM camp, baking, cheer, crafting and more! Camps fill up fast, so register today online at: www.stasaints. net/athletics/summer-camps. We look for ward to providing a positive camp experience for your camper! For questions, call the student life office at (913) 319-2416 or send an email to: btriggs@stasaints.net.

DIVORCE SUPPORT GROUP

‘HEALING THE DIVORCED HEART’ St. Michael the Archangel (Gabriel Room) 14251 Nall Ave., Leawood 1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m.

Those who have experienced a divorce understand as perhaps few others can. We were sad, lonely, scared and angry, but we have found that with God, time and the support of others, healing is possible. For more information, visit the website at: www.stmichaelcp.org/divorce-support.

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS

DEADLINE: Noon, Thursday, eight days before the desired publication date.

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: beth. blankenship@theleaven.org.

As Archbishop Naumann heads into retirement, his two decades of leadership have left a lasting impact on

LASTING LEGACY OF MINISTRY

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — For the past 20 years, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann has kept the words of Pope Paul VI in mind.

“He said as the pope that it’s not my church — it’s Jesus’ church,” said Archbishop Naumann. “And everybody’s here just for a season, in terms of leaders — whether it’s popes or bishops or pastors.”

As for his time as the leader of the Catholic Church in northeast Kansas, it’s been a great adventure.

“I’m just very grateful for the time that I had to serve the archdiocese,” said Archbishop Naumann.

“To be here for more than 20 years —

that’s unusual in many ways,” he added. “Every bishop doesn’t get that time.”

Archbishop Naumann was appointed coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas on Jan. 7, 2004, and succeeded Archbishop James P. Keleher as its archbishop on Jan. 15, 2005.

He will be succeeded by Archbishopdesignate Shawn McKnight, who was appointed by Pope Francis on April 8.

First impressions

As Archbishop Naumann reflected on his first months in the archdiocese, he recalled the sage advice offered by the bishop who ordained him as a priest.

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Archbishop Naumann breathes on the oil of chrism at the annual Chrism Mass in 2024.

Twenty-year mission built on five pastoral priorities

>> Continued from previous page

“He said when you first come to a parish, look out the window for a year,” said Archbishop Naumann. “He was basically saying don’t try and change things quickly but allow yourself time — first of all to observe.

“At least go through the calendar and observe all the different aspects of the life of the church.”

“But also give yourself time to win the trust of your people,” he added. “I think we have to earn trust.”

When he arrived in northeast Kansas, Archbishop Naumann discovered a vibrant church thanks to Archbishop Keleher’s leadership.

“Generally, in the church here there were many, many positive things happening,” he said.

In time, the archbishop set about enhancing the various ministries that were already up and running.

“There were a lot of good things in place,” he said, “but that I thought we needed to take to a new level.”

He identified five pastoral priorities as a framework for carrying out the church’s mission: conversion, evangelization, Catholic education, serving those in need and stewardship.

At the 10-year mark, he and his team conducted a listening process to prioritize three pastoral initiatives: evangelization, marriage and family life, and providing opportunities for people to live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

“So, over the next 10 years, we developed

he doesn’t take the credit.

“I think there are very good things that have happened thanks to a

particular targeted goals in each of those areas,” the archbishop said, “and then tried to put resources behind them.”

Solid leadership

The life of the church in northeast Kansas blossomed in many ways under Archbishop Naumann’s leadership, but

lot of

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Archbishop Naumann receives the gifts from children at the annual Repect Life Mass in 2022 at Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Archbishop Naumann baptizes Grant George at the 2022 Easter Vigil at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas.

>> Continued on the next page

Archbishop inspired by ‘solution-oriented’ spirit of archdiocesan Catholics

>> Continued from previous page

ways that the Holy Spirit has brought together a constellation of good leaders,” he said.

The archbishop inherited the chancellor and vicar general, Msgr. Tom Tank, and the vicar general, the late Msgr. Charles McGlinn.

“They knew the archdiocese, the history of the archdiocese,” said the archbishop. “They were a tremendous help to me, guiding me in many of the decisions that we made.”

The archbishop continued and expanded upon Archbishop Keleher’s administrative team.

He also focused on the Hispanic community by creating a brand-new position in the archdiocese — vicar for Hispanic ministry — and working to incorporate Hispanic ministry into every part of the archdiocese.

The archbishop relied on lay leadership and expressed appreciation for initiatives like Holy Family School of Faith, a lay apostolate that offers a Spiritual Mentorship Program, faculty formation and a rosary meditation podcast hosted by Dr. Mike Scherschligt.

In 2019, it merged with the young adult ministry City on a Hill, which is now under its direction.

The archbishop has also been a staunch supporter of the work of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas.

“I think Catholic Charities has continued to thrive,” he said, “and the Snow Ball (fundraising gala) is just one barometer of that — the support that our people have for doing the mission of the church of bringing the love of Jesus Christ to the poor.”

Archbishop Naumann has been inspired by the “entrepreneurial” spirit of the people of the archdiocese.

“I think there’s a positive attitude amongst people,” he said. “If there are problems or challenges, they’re solutionoriented.”

And the team of people that’s supported him personally — at his residence and the chancery — has been a blessing.

“I’m edified by their zeal, their dedication, their creativity in trying to help our church constantly be more vibrant, more alive,” he said.

“I think they’ve made me a better priest, a better bishop,” he continued, “by their support, their encouragement, their example of their own faith life.”

Focused on the future

Archbishop Naumann understood the importance of building up the next generation of Catholic leaders.

Strengthening the catholicity of archdiocesan schools was at the forefront of his work from the start.

“One of the pluses that helped with that was that Archbishop Keleher and his team actually were in the process of opening St. James Academy [in Lenexa],” said Archbishop Naumann.

“It didn’t open until after I was here, but the leadership team had already been engaged,” he said.

Founded in 2005, St. James was designed specifically to “help raise the bar in terms of what our Catholic schools

>> Continued on the next page

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Archbishop Naumann took to the main stage to celebrate Mass at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY LORI WOOD HABIGER

Archbishop Naumann performs the laying on of hands to Father Viet Nguyen in 2018 at the latter’s ordination ceremony.

Archbishop hopes to continue to serve in new capacity

can and should be,” said the archbishop.

He’s also been an avid supporter of the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF), which provides tuition assistance scholarships for students whose families could otherwise not afford Catholic education.

He called CEF “a critical resource in making sure our Catholic schools don’t become elitist and only available to the rich.”

And the archbishop has worked hard to ensure that Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, which provides higher education to students who might not otherwise be served, continues to grow.

When it comes to the faith of young people in general, Archbishop Keleher had planted the seeds for a blossoming youth ministry, founding Camp Tekakwitha in 1998 and making a home for it at Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg in 2000.

“That was another real strength in the archdiocese,” said Archbishop Naumann, “the focus on forming our young people well and raising up future leaders.”

Expanding religious life

The church in northeast Kansas wouldn’t be the same without the men who’ve answered the call to the priesthood over the past two decades.

Archbishop Naumann has been gratified by the fraternity among the priests.

“We have a lot of diversity in our priests,” he said, “but I think they enjoy each other and are supportive of each other.

“That’s been a very positive part of the culture here.”

Many vocations have come out of the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, he said, and the support of organizations like the Serra Club has been essential.

But he believes the archdiocese needs to foster more vocations.

Archbishop Naumann also understood the benefits of religious orders, supporting those who have been in the archdiocese for decades and ushering in new ones.

“I’d like to say I had this plan when I came here to bring these religious communities,” he said, “but I really didn’t.

“That was really a gift of the Holy Spirit in many ways to have these new, young religious communities.”

The Little Sisters of the Lamb came to Kansas City, Kansas, in 2008, to establish the Community of the Lamb’s presence after connecting with Father Anthony Ouellette while he was studying in Rome.

“Thanks to his coaching, we were able to be the first really to invite that community to the United States,” said the archbishop. “And it was a time when they were ready to accept a new mission.”

The Fraternity the Poor of Jesus Christ, founded in Brazil, have been serving the poor in Kansas City, Kansas, since 2012.

And under the leadership of Father Brian Schieber, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel in Leawood, Archbishop Naumann brought in the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and

Mary, who are fluent in English and Spanish, in 2023.

Archbishop Naumann said the permanent diaconate has also enhanced the church’s impact.

The groundwork for it had been laid when he arrived, the first cohort of men began formation in 2006 and they were ordained in 2011.

“That’s been a great enrichment for the church here,” said Archbishop Naumann, “having these well-informed deacons.”

They and their wives have “been a great blessing to our parishes,” he added.

Looking ahead

Archbishop Naumann believes Archbishop-designate McKnight will be set up for success when he takes the reins.

“I think he’ll be inheriting a really excellent staff and a great presbyterate,” said Archbishop Naumann.

“I think the new bishop’s going to bring fresh eyes,” he added. “He’s going to bring new energy.”

Archbishop Naumann hopes the people of the archdiocese will welcome Archbishop-designate McKnight warmly.

“I’m confident that they’re going to welcome the new bishop and to love the new bishop [with the same] great support and affection that they’ve shown to me,” he said.

As he adjusts to the idea of retirement, Archbishop Naumann looks forward to living side by side with the Community of the Lamb in Kansas City, Kansas.

Construction for the St. Joseph House, a guest house for visitors to the community adjacent to the Little

Brothers’ residence, is underway. He will be its first guest and live out his retirement years there as long as he’s able.

“I think that will be good for me spiritually to take advantage of their spirituality, the beauty of the way that they celebrate the liturgy,” he said.

The archbishop looks forward to passing his administrative responsibilities on but plans to continue being of service however he can.

“I hope, my health permitting, to substitute for priests so they can get away for vacation or retreats or continuing education,” he said.

Although his time as archbishop is coming to a close, Archbishop Naumann’s legacy will live on.

“Mostly, I’m filled with gratitude that I was given the gift to be able to serve here as the archbishop for a couple of decades,” he said.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

The archbishop looks forward to passing his administrative responsibilities on, but plans to continue being of service however he can. “I hope, my health permitting, to substitute for priests so they can get away for vacation or retreats or continuing education,” he said.