Where We Are Now
Year Two
On September 12, leaders from our 111 parishes and chaplaincies met to begin Year Two of Renewal from the Heartland. Archbishop Shawn McKnight delivered his vision for Renewal from the Heartland. Below is the link to the English version; a Spanish version will be available soon.
By responding directly to our community’s theme of “a desire to belong,” we will build communities that are centers of charity and sanctuaries of mercy, fulfilling the vision Archbishop McKnight launched.
Why? Because of the nature of what has been brought to our attention so far.
Renewal from the Heartland Events
Date | Activity |
Sept. 12, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm | Convocation – Official launch of the pastoral planning process |
Sept. 15, 6:30-8 pm | Deanery Parish Leadership Meeting |
Sept. 16 | Presbyteral Council Meeting |
Sept. 25 | Deans provide dates and locations of listening sessions to the synodal team by completing an online form. The link to the form will be sent to deans on Sept. 15. |
September/October | Archdiocese recruits, trains and matches facilitators with listening sessions.Archdiocese coordinates with deaneries and CARA to finalize deanery surveys. Surveys will include “universal” questions used in each survey and unique questions for the deanery.Advent small group resource written and prepared for on-demand printing and accessing online, in English and Spanish. |
October | Begin promotion of listening sessionsParishes plan for small faith sharing groupsRecruitment of facilitators for listening sessions |
Oct. 1 | Priests Inservice |
Oct. 17 | Archdiocesan Pastoral Council meeting |
Oct. 21 | Deans meeting |
Oct. 26-30 | Training of facilitators for listening sessions. Training accomplished online by archdiocesan personnel |
Oct / Nov | Organization of Advent small groups, including order and delivery of print resources |
Nov. 10, 6:30 – 8 pm | Deanery Parish Leadership Meeting |
Nov. 7-22 | Listening sessions in deaneries |
Advent 2026 | Parish small group faith-sharing series |
Jan. 31, 2027 | Deanery listening sessions reports delivered to deaneries |
Jan / Feb 2027 | Deanery CARA survey deployed |
Feb. 2, 2027, 6:30-8 pm) | Deanery Parish Leadership Meeting |
Lent 2027 | Parish small group faith-sharing |
After Easter | Survey reports delivered to deaneries.Deanery visioning and planning sessions – two options: one, 6 hours in length, or three, 2.5 hours each |
Summer 2027 | Archdiocese reviews deanery plans and adjusts overall pastoral planning |
Fall 2027 | Archdiocesan Convocation |
Year One
In 2026, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas launched a pastoral planning process called Renewal from the Heartland. The process began with a Lenten small group series called Beatitudes from the Heartland. The four-part series provided participants with an opportunity to reflect on the Scriptures and the writings of the Church fathers, particularly the documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Francis, and Pope Leo XIV, regarding baptized Catholics’ responsibilities within their parishes and other ecclesial communities.
- Please share a story about your experience with the Church that has shaped you.
- What is the Holy Spirit asking of us?
These responses were used to formulate survey questions for a public, online survey (available in both English and Spanish) conducted June 1-22. Responses provided in the listening sessions and to the online survey will serve as the source material for the archdiocesan pastoral planning process, which will be initiated by Archbishop Shawn McKnight at a diocesan convocation for parish leaders on Sept. 12. The responses will also be segmented by deaneries, and customized reports and resources will be provided to each deanery for use by parishes and the deanery in pastoral planning.
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“May our parishes be centers of charity and sanctuaries of mercy … may the church become known as a place to go when people are thirsty, are afflicted, are broken-hearted, are poor, in their life journey, and they need an oasis for healing and help.” - Archbishop Shawn McKnight
Rooted in our church’s teachings and our renewed spirituality of synodality, Renewal from the Heartland will encourage clergy, religious and laity to recognize their proper responsibilities in building communion and engaging in the mission of the Church.
Parishioner involvement is essential! We begin in Lent by meeting in small groups to share faith, using a program created for our archdiocese called Beatitudes from the Heartland.
Together, we’ll explore the Beatitudes and uncover what it means to live as a Catholic in today’s world, here in the heartland. This is your chance to grow spiritually and help transform our parishes into centers of charity and sanctuaries of mercy.
“The Lord’s appeal to show mercy to the poor culminates in the great parable of the last judgment (cf. Mt 25:31-46), which can serve as a vivid illustration of the Beatitude of the merciful. In that parable, the Lord offers us the key to our fulfillment in life; indeed, ‘if we seek the holiness pleasing to God’s eyes, this text offers us one clear criterion on which we will be judged.’ The clear and forceful words of the Gospel must be put into practice ‘without any ‘ifs or buts’ that could lessen their force. Our Lord made it very clear that holiness cannot be understood or lived apart from these demands.’”
Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate
Archdiocesan Synodal Team
Resources
Holy See: Pathways for the Implementation of the Synod on Synodality
Pope Leo XVI: Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You)
Pope Francis: Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel)
Second Vatican Council: Lumen Gentium (Light of Nations)
Below is a recording of the February 3 Deanery meeting.
The below are recordings of each speaking session from the Archdiocese Convocation which took place on October 7, 2025.