The Leaven is the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. It is the successor to the Eastern Kansas Register, which was first launched in 1939.
The Leaven is published in print bi-weekly and as an email newsletter on the alternating weeks. It provides news to 185,483 Catholics in the archdiocese, which spans an area of 12,524 square miles in 21 counties, including those in the Kansas City area, Lawrence, Ottawa, Topeka, and Emporia.
Much of the news reported in The Leaven is derived from the activities of the 106 parishes spread across those counties and their parishioners.
The Leaven is mailed into the home of every registered Catholic. It is a 16-page tabloid; subscriptions cost $27 a year, and are paid through parish envelopes or online.
Meet the Staff
Archbishop Shawn McKnight: The Most Reverend Shawn McKnight was installed as the 12th bishop and fifth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas on May 27, 2025, and is the publisher of The Leaven. Archbishop McKnight was born in 1968, grew up in a large Catholic family and attended Catholic schools. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Wichita on May 28, 1994. He earned a Master of Arts degree and a Master of Divinity degree from the Pontifical College Josephinum (1993-1994) and earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome in 1999. Read his full biography.
Marissa Easter: Marissa serves as Chief Communications Officer for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, where she leads the communications strategy and advises senior leadership on mission-driven engagement. She has been instrumental in advancing large-scale organizational transformation, including unifying communications functions and strengthening the church’s ability to communicate with clarity in both routine and crisis situations. In her role, she also serves as the Editor-in-Chief for The Leaven, the archdiocese’s official newspaper, shaping one of the region’s primary Catholic media voices. She also serves on the Communications Committee for the national Catholic Media Association, contributing to efforts to strengthen and innovate Catholic communications across the country. Marissa holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing management and an MBA with a focus on human resources and organizational behavior, bringing a unique blend of strategy, leadership and execution to her work.
Todd Habiger: Todd has been the production manager for The Leaven since 1995. Under his direction The Leaven has won multiple design awards from the Catholic Press Association. Prior to working at The Leaven, Todd was an award-winning writer for The Catholic Key newspaper in Kansas City, Mo. Todd is married to Lori Wood Habiger, a former Leaven employee herself. They have two children — Paige and Connor, and one dog — Joli.
Moira Cullings: Moira is an award-winning writer with a passion for storytelling, copy editing and social media management. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park and studied marketing and psychology at Benedictine College in Atchison, where she played for the women’s soccer team. Moira joined The Leaven staff as a feature writer and social media editor in 2015. After a move to Denver, she resumed a full-time position at The Leaven and is now its senior writer and digital content manager. Her favorite assignment was traveling to the Holy Land to photograph a group pilgrimage.
Olivia (Liv) Martin-Davies: Liv studied English and Spanish at Benedictine College and has written for a variety of clients across her career, including a study abroad agency, a bank and a podcasting agency. Liv initially joined The Leaven staff as a feature writer in 2018 and stepped away to pursue a M.A. in Film and Literature at the University of York in the U.K. On returning to the U.S., she taught English for four years at St. James Academy and returned to The Leaven as an editorial assistant in 2025. She enjoys reading, visiting Spain and the U.K., rock climbing, playing Wingspan and eating food other people make.