By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
Intensity summarizes the person and personality of Msgr. Kenneth Knapp, Father David Nunning said during his homily at Msgr. Kenneth Knapp’s Mass of Christian Burial.
Bishop Joseph M. Siegel celebrated Msgr. Knapp’s Mass of Christian Burial Dec. 12 at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville. About 40 diocesan priests concelebrated the Mass, including several senior priests of the diocese. Father David Nunning, senior priest of the diocese, served as homilist. Diocesan seminarians were altar servers.
Msgr. Knapp, 88, died Dec. 8. He was ordained a priest March 30, 1963, in Innsbruck, Austria, by Bishop Paul Rusch. Msgr. Knapp served the diocese in many ways until his retirement in 2012, including as Vicar General-Chancellor and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Evansville starting in 1984 and as pastor of Christ the King Parish in Evansville starting in 1995.
Bishop Siegel said God blessed Msgr. Knapp with many gifts and talents. He said Msgr. Knapp used those so effectively through his many decades of priestly ministry as a pastor, social worker and diocesan administrator. Bishop Siegel said he thinks most priests would be glad to be proficient in one of those areas. Msgr. Knapp seemingly had the gifts, talents and proficiency in all of them, Bishop Siegel said.
Father Nunning said he was permitted to work closely with Msgr. Knapp for about 10 years in the development of a wider financial and social framework for the Evansville Catholic high schools. Father Nunning said Msgr. Knapp was “a formidable colleague.”
Father Nunning said in 1980, Msgr. Knapp was named a domestic prelate titled Reverend Monsignor.
“In those days, that title was a means of identifying outstanding priestly ministry,” Father Nunning said.
Father Nunning said Msgr. Knapp was “not a warm, fuzzy disciple,” characterizing him as disciplined and sometimes may have seemed remote. Father Nunning said he would describe Msgr. Knapp’s style as professional in tone. A word Father Nunning used as he reflected on the life and ministry of Msgr. Knapp is intensity.
“Everyone must judge for himself or herself where one is called to intensity,” Father Nunning said. “In love for others, in dedication to a vocation, in reading, teaching, pursuit of a career or vocation. Intensity summarizes much of the person and personality of the Ken Knapp I remember.”
Father Nunning said the insatiable thirst for understanding, the love of books, the excitement of travel, the fascination of accomplishments of our ancestors, the deep appreciation of vocation into intimacy with God and others are all characteristic of Msgr. Knapp’s life.
Father Nunning said his reflection on the memory of Msgr. Knapp and his impact on our diocese would be incomplete if he did not have recourse to St. Thomas Aquinas, “a patron saint of all reflection I think.” Father Nunning said St. Thomas, together with Aristotle, saw something in this world that others overlooked, which is how some things differed from others simply because of what their inventor or fabricator had in mind. Father Nunning said Aristotle defines the end as that for the sake of which a thing is done and the reason something exists. Ecclesiastes says in the end, God has put eternity into men’s minds, Father Nunning said.
Father Nunning said this simple teaching “really took flesh and blood in the person of Ken Knapp.” He knew that among all the things he had explored and conquered, among those things that still piqued his curiosity, nothing was more true than this, Father Nunning said.
“He had a purpose in life. Partially fulfilled. I would say grandiosely fulfilled in this life,” Father Nunning said. “But also a final purpose that went beyond all the words or preaching. All the specimens of art he collected. All the works of administration beyond even that list of accomplishments we saw in his resume.”
Bishop Siegel said as they remember Msgr. Knapp, they ask God to call other young men with their own gifts and talents to discern that call from the Lord, to say yes to the Lord as Msgr. Knapp did, to service, to sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom and the sake of God’s people. We pray that they will follow the example of Msgr. Knapp in that hard work, in that dedication, in that perseverance to build up God’s kingdom here on earth to serve God’s people and to bring souls to heaven, Bishop Siegel said.
Interment followed the Mass of Christian Burial at Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Haubstadt.