by Phillip Punswick
Special to The Leaven
SHAWNEE — The Serra Clubs of Topeka, Atchison, Johnson County and Kansas City, Kansas, honored Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann for his leadership, commitment and spiritual direction of the organizations during a noon luncheon at St. Joseph Church here on Dec. 11, 2024.
Over 100 members attended and presented him with a letter of commendation and contributions to the Heart-to-Heart Scholarship Fund. The fund, which grew out of the archbishop’s goals for the archdiocese, helps offset the financial burden for a young man or woman answering a vocational call to the priesthood or consecrated life.
Father Dan Morris, archdiocesan vocations director, presented a brief overview of the progress of the 25 seminarians at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis and St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. He praised Archbishop Naumann for his personal support for the office of vocations and his close relationship with each seminarian.
Father Morris described Archbishop Naumann’s rare gifts of servant leadership and friendship, presence and availability, and being a spiritual fatherly figure for men discerning the priesthood.
“You remain a steadfast fatherly figure,” he told the archbishop, “in seminarians’ lives to keep their ships sailing in the right direction.”
In addition to the Heart-to-Heart Scholarship Fund, Father Morris went on to describe the many programs through which Archbishop Naumann has supported seminarians of the archdiocese. Among them are the annual seminarian pilgrimage he makes with them, the many World Youth Days he has attended with them and the enhancement of the annual “Quo Vadis” retreat, during which young men can begin discerning their vocation call.
“One of [my] most important roles,” said Archbishop Naumann in his remarks to the assembled, “is to ordain priests. And by spring [2025], God willing, I will have ordained 54 priests in the archdiocese.”
He went on to discuss the significance of the National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis last summer and attended by 65,000 people. This was a major event, he said, and will be repeated in five years.
Archbishop Naumann’s top three priorities have always been to grow the culture of evangelization, strengthen marriage and family, and encounter Jesus in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. During his tenure, accomplishments in these areas have strengthened parishes and families in the archdiocese.
After Archbishop Naumann’s successor is announced and he helps with the transition, he is prayerfully planning to reside near the Community of the Lamb in Kansas City, Kansas.
The presidents of the four Serra Clubs represented at the luncheon, on behalf of over 260 Serrans in the archdiocese, presented Archbishop Naumann with his commendation letter and a check for $13,370 in contributions to the Heart-to-Heart Fund, which has now grown to over $14,000.
Serra is an international Organization with the mission to ensure the future of the church by promoting vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.
