THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 47, NO. 33 | MAY 1, 2026
FOLLOWING THE SHEPHERD Introducing the Pontifical College Josephinum Story and photos by Jay Soldner
One of the highlights of Archbishop Shawn McKnight’s visit to the Josephinum was Cardinal Christophe Pierre’s announcement that Father Steve Beseau, priest of the archdiocese and rector of the Josephinum, had been appointed a Chaplain to His Holiness, or a monsignor, by Pope Leo XIV. From left are: Cardinal Pierre, Msgr. Beseau and Archbishop McKnight.
The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas will be sending seminarians to study at the Pontifical College Josephinum, located in Columbus, Ohio. Msgr. Steve Beseau, a priest of the archdiocese, is the rector of the Josephinum.
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OLUMBUS, Ohio — In the quiet setting of the Pontifical College Josephinum, priestly formation takes place within a mission that reaches far beyond its 75-acre campus — one grounded in service to the universal Catholic Church and in preparing priests to serve every kind of parish and every kind of Catholic. For Archbishop Shawn McKnight, that mission is not an abstract ideal but a lived reality. The Josephinum is not simply another seminary option; it is a place he knows personally and trusts deeply. “Having been a seminarian myself here in this institution and having taught here for several years, having served on the board now for three years, I’m very fa-
IN MY MIND AND IN MY VISION, HAVING SOME OF OUR SEMINARIANS HERE HELPS TO INSTILL THAT SENSE OF MISSION IN OUR PRIESTS TO SERVE EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY BACK HOME IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF KANSAS CITY IN KANSAS. ARCHBISHOP SHAWN MCKNIGHT miliar with what happens here,” he said. That familiarity, deepened over decades, now shapes a significant decision: The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas will be sending seminarians to study at the only pontifical seminary in the United States, located in Columbus, Ohio. (The archdiocese will have seminarians at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in
St. Louis, St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Pope Saint John XXIII Seminary in Boston and Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, as well.) “I’m also very familiar with the history of the Josephinum, its origins, its particular mission in the United States as a pontifical seminary and a national seminary,” Archbishop McKnight said. The
Josephinum’s direct connection to the Holy See has remained central to Archbishop McKnight’s understanding of its identity. “We [seminarians] were aware of the special character of this seminary as pontifical,” he recalled. “Not in any triumphalist way at all, but that instilled in me a sense of linking up or syncing up with the Holy Father.” That sense of communion with the successor of Peter has shaped his priesthood and episcopal ministry. “Throughout my entire priesthood, I have always desired to be close to the Vicar of Christ and the successor of Saint Peter, and to try to match as much as possible his pastoral vision for the church,” he said. >> See “SEMINARY’S” on page 6