by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — If Archbishop W. Shawn McKnight’s childhood self knew he would someday become an archbishop, “he would not have believed it at all,” he said.
As a self-proclaimed introvert with plans to become a doctor, a sudden inkling in college that he was called to the priesthood initially seemed out of the question.
“If God is calling you, he does provide,” said Archbishop McKnight.
On May 27, the Wichita native became the fifth archbishop and 12th bishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
“I don’t see my appointment to Kansas City as something that’s being awarded to me,” said Archbishop McKnight, “but rather that the pope is asking me to be of service to the people and the clergy there.
“I intend to try to live that out as much as possible.”
Early life
Archbishop McKnight was born on June 26, 1968, to Mary (O’Reilly) and William McKnight, their first and only child together.
His biological father was killed in a boating accident, along with his grandfather and great uncle, when he was around 18 months old.
“I have no real memory of him,” said Archbishop McKnight of his father. “But I have very good and happy memories of his mother.
“My grandmother Pat lost her oldest son and her husband in the same accident, and then within a few weeks lost her father, too. She really was a very resilient woman.”
Archbishop McKnight said his family didn’t dwell on the tragedy.
“We were not raised to think poorly of ourselves or our situation,” he said. “My grandmother was a very strong woman. I hope that has rubbed off on me as well, to have that spirit that she has.”
His mother married Gary Schaffer not long after William passed away.
“I identified with him as he was my dad,” said Archbishop McKnight. “I thought of it as I was growing up [that] my father gave me life, but Dad is the one who raised me.”
Archbishop McKnight’s parents went on to have seven children — one girl and six boys, including a set of fraternal twins.
“I really fondly remember our summer vacations,” said Archbishop McKnight. “[My parents] always made the extra effort to make sure we could go travel somewhere.
“And in those days in the 1970s, it was more of the station wagon-type [of] family vacation, traveling several days to get to the Rockies or Jackson Hole. I think one year we went as far as Seattle.
“My family loved to camp, to fish. We did all that outdoor stuff.”
Being the oldest of eight children built character in Archbishop McKnight, especially on those long road trips.
“I guess I was being formed in how to become a bishop — [I was surrounded by] a ton of people with different needs, and everybody coming from a different perspective,” he said.
Archbishop McKnight was also shaped by moving frequently because of his dad’s job as a manufacturing engineer for Boeing.
“Once again, I think God was actually preparing me,” he said, “because that’s been my life as a priest.”
Leap of faith
Archbishop McKnight grew up attending Catholic schools in Wichita, and his family was active at church, but as a child he never sincerely considered the idea of becoming a priest.
“When I was really young, I wanted to be a veterinarian,” he said, “because I really liked our family dog. We had an Irish Setter. I just liked animals in general.”
By the time he got to high school, Archbishop McKnight wanted to be a doctor — possibly a surgeon — and was inspired by his multiple relatives who worked in the medical field.
He decided to study biochemistry at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas.
He had just completed the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) there when the dean of students told the resident assistants, which included Archbishop McKnight, they could get out of their responsibilities the following weekend if they attended a university retreat.
It would be sponsored by the university’s chaplain — now-Bishop Greg Kelly of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas.
“I signed up — not because of any real spiritual motive,” said Archbishop McKnight.
“I wanted to get caught up on my sleep and get caught up on my homework,” he said, “because I had been devoting so much of my time to prepare for the medical school admissions test.”
But the retreat changed his life.
“I still remember sitting in the chapel,” he said. “We had a Carmelite priest [as] our retreat master. And after one of his conferences, I just stayed there, and I was sort of stunned.
“I remember being aware that nobody else was in the chapel, and I was the only one there. That sense of desire of looking into the priesthood was very strong.”
As the retreat ended, Archbishop McKnight brushed the idea away.
“I remember thinking to myself, get that out of your head,” he said. “You’ve got classes, you’ve got a girlfriend, you’ve got friends, you’ve got other things to do.”
When he got back to campus and checked his mail, Archbishop McKnight discovered an unexpected letter from the assistant vocation director of the Diocese of Wichita.
“I opened it up,” he said, “and I read it, and the first line was, ‘Have you ever thought of being a priest?’
“Then it went on to inform me that Bishop [Eugene J.] Gerber had invited all the laity one weekend to recommend candidates that they thought would make good priests.
“And at least one person dropped my name in the collection basket. He was just following up to see if I was interested.”
Archbishop McKnight made an appointment to meet with Bishop Gerber over Christmas break.
“My intention was to explain to him and make the case that I do not have a call,” he said, “because I want to become a doctor. I’d like to be a family man. I’d like to get married.”
Bishop Gerber listened patiently before responding.
“He just simply told me at the end, ‘Well, Shawn, I can’t resolve this question for you, except that you’re the kind of guy the church would want to ordain as a priest,’” said Archbishop McKnight.
“That forced me to continue the discernment,” he said. “Eventually, I entered [the] seminary, and here I am today.”
Ready to serve
Archbishop McKnight attended the Pontifical College Josephinum Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.
“And it was a place where my call was strengthened and formation — intellectually, spiritually, pastorally — took place and was very helpful to me,” he said.
He was ordained a priest on May 28, 1994, for the Diocese of Wichita and installed as bishop of the Diocese of Jefferson City on Feb. 6, 2018.
Whenever he had doubts about his vocation, he would remember how it all started.
“It was sure helpful to go back to my original sense of a call,” he said, “knowing that at first I didn’t want it and tried to avoid it, and it came to me from the outside.
“And once I got to a point where it was something I loved and grew in my appreciation for the priesthood, once I really learned about what it means to be a priest . . . it became something I wanted to do.”
He’s overcome obstacles by focusing on small steps.
“Let God take care of the grand scheme of things,” he said.
Archbishop McKnight was saddened when Pope Francis passed away on April 21 — less than two weeks after his appointment as archbishop was announced.
“I’m one of the last two bishops appointed by him in the United States and one of a few last metropolitan archbishops appointed by the Holy Father worldwide,” he said.
The archbishop said it will also be difficult to leave Jefferson City, where he’s served for the past seven years — the longest term he’s had at an assignment.
“It will always have a special place in my heart, because this was my first diocese as a bishop,” he said. “I learned how to be a bishop here.”
But he’s excited to accept the greater responsibilities God is calling him to take on.
“The joys are bigger,” he said. “The headaches are bigger, too. There’s more of an opportunity to exercise leadership, and that’s not always easy.
“But there is something very satisfying about using every gift and charism that you have been given by God in a way that helps the mission of the church.”
Having spent little time in northeast Kansas, he looks forward to his first days as its new archbishop.
“I have a lot more to do and a lot more to see,” he said.
