James Vann Johnston Jr. (born October 16, 1959) is an American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri since 2015. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in Missouri from 2008 to 2015.

Biography

Early life and education

Johnston was born on October 16, 1959, in Knoxville,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, to James Johnston and Pat (née Huber) Vann Johnston. He has two sisters, Beth and Amy, and one brother, Steve. James Johnston Jr. was a member of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

, attaining the rank of

eagle scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

. He attended St. Joseph Elementary School and Knoxville Catholic High School in Knoxville. After graduating from high school in 1977, Johnston entered the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

in Knoxville. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

in 1982. Johnston worked for three years after college for an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

ing consulting firm in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Texas. Johnston has stated that the faith and generosity of his mother and the teachings of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

inspired him to enter the priesthood. He enrolled in Saint Meinrad School of Theology in Saint Meinrad, Indiana in 1985, where he earned a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree in 1990.

Priesthood

Johnston was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

a priest for the

Diocese of Knoxville The Diocese of Knoxville ( la, Dioecesis Knoxvillensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Tennessee. It was founded on May 27, 1988 from the eastern counties of the Diocese of Nashville. This dioces ...

by Bishop

Anthony O'Connell Anthony J. O'Connell (May 10, 1938 – May 4, 2012) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic church. He served as the first of the Diocese of Knoxville in Tennessee from 1988 to 1998. He later served as the third bishop of the Dioce ...

on June 9, 1990 at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville. In 1994, Johnston traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

(CUA). He graduated from the

School of Canon Law The School of Canon Law is the only faculty of Catholic canon law in the United States. It is one of the twelve schools at The Catholic University of America, located in Washington, D.C.Licentiate of

Canon Law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. He then served as an

associate pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

at St. Mary's Parish in

Oak Ridge, Tennessee Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of downtown Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 31,402 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Oak ...

and at St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga,Tennessee, where he also taught at Notre Dame High School. Johnston then returned to Knoxville as associate pastor of Holy Ghost Parish. Johnston was named

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

and moderator of the diocesan curia in 1996, and later pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa, Tennessee, in addition to his curial duties, on May 14, 2007. In 2002, Johnston and two other priests saved a man and his two children from falling over a waterfall in Glacier National Park in Montana. US Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton awarded them the Citizen's Award for Bravery on February 2, 2005. Upon receiving the award, Johnston remarked, "We were all very surprised, partly because it happened two and a half years ago. We didn't think too many people were even aware of it." Johnston supports the celebration of

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...

, but has said he does not "hold a great personal attachment to it" due to his relatively young age. He also supports the use of

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...

and

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

during mass. He has cited

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

, Chet Atkins, and

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many o ...

as some of his favorite musical artists.

Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau

On January 24, 2008, Johnston was appointed the sixth bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

. He later stated at a press conference, "I am eager to learn about the Church in Southern Missouri, and to become part of God's family here." Johnston also announced that, as bishop, he would:

"Seek out those who have fallen away from the practice of their Catholic faith, reach out to the unchurched, and seek to meet brothers and sisters of other faith communities and churches on areas of common belief and shared concerns."

Johnston received his episcopal consecration on March 31, 2008, from Archbishop Raymond Burke, with Archbishop

Joseph Kurtz Joseph Edward Kurtz (born August 18, 1946) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky from 2007 to 2022. He previously served as the bishop of the Diocese of Kn ...

and Bishop John Leibrecht serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph

On September 15, 2015,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

named Johnston as bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph. He was installed on November 4, 2015, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City. On June 27, 2016, in a special church service, Johnston apologized to victims of sexual abuse in the diocese for the abuse itself and the cover-up by the church. His predecessor, Bishop Robert Finn, had pleaded guilty in 2012 to a charge of failing to report an individual abusing a child. On March 23, 2021, Johnston announced the laicization in December 2020 of Reverend Michael Tierney, who had multiple credible accusations of sexual abuse of children.

Viewpoints

Abortion

In May 2009, noting that US President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

"has taken steps on multiple fronts to undermine the protection of innocent human life", Johnston said the decision of the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

to have Obama deliver the commencement speech at its graduation ceremony and receive an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

was "saddening and bewildering." Johnston also said,

"While we must pray for our president, respect his office, and acknowledge and support the good things he does to lead our nation, it is also our duty to make known our opposition to those actions and decisions that stand in direct opposition to the moral law and the foundational principals of America."

On September 14, 2020, just before the

2020 US presidential election The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala H ...

, Johnston sent a controversial letter to parishioners in the diocese. In the letter, Johnston asked voters to examine which party supported so-called moral issues such as abortion rights. When asked if he was endorsing

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

candidates, Johnston said that he was only asking voters to vote their conscience.

Same sex marriage

In May 2009, Johnston criticized what he believed was unfair treatment of Miss California

Carrie Prejean Caroline Michelle "Carrie" Prejean Boller (; born 1987) is an American model, former Miss California USA 2009, and Miss USA 2009 first runner-up. Prejean was stripped of her Miss California USA crown for alleged breaches of contract. Litigation ...

, who placed second at Miss USA 2009 competition. When asked if she supported

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

, Prejean said no. Johnston remarked:

"...shows just how much American culture, in such a short time, has drifted away from the moorings that have given the nation strength and stability... ndshows the fierce intolerance of many of those who advocate redefining marriage to include same-sex unions."

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, James Vann 1959 births Living people People from Knoxville, Tennessee Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield–Cape Girardeau Roman Catholic bishops of Kansas City–Saint Joseph 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States University of Tennessee alumni Catholic University of America alumni Catholics from Tennessee Catholic University of America School of Canon Law