James Vann Johnston Jr.

On September 15, 2015, Pope Francis named him the bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph. He was installed on November 4, 2015, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City.

In May 2009, noting that President Barack Obama "has taken steps on multiple fronts to undermine the protection of innocent human life", Johnston said the decision of the University of Notre Dame to have Obama deliver the commencement speech at its graduation ceremony and receive an honorary degree was "saddening and bewildering." He 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."

Johnston criticized the treatment of Miss California Carrie Prejean, who placed second at Miss USA 2009 after being asked if she supported same-sex marriage and responding she did not. He said the incident "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...[and] shows the fierce intolerance of many of those who advocate redefining marriage to include same-sex unions."

On January 24, 2008, Johnston was appointed the sixth Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri, by Pope Benedict XVI. 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 will "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." He received his episcopal consecration on March 31 from Archbishop Raymond Burke, with Archbishop Joseph Kurtz and Bishop John Leibrecht serving as co-consecrators.

From 1994 to 1996, Johnston attended The Catholic University of America School of Canon Law, receiving a Licentiate of Canon Law. He then served as an associate pastor at St. Mary's Church in Oak Ridge and at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga, where he also taught at Notre Dame High School. He then returned to Knoxville as associate pastor of Holy Ghost Church, where his family has been longtime parishioners. He was named chancellor and moderator of the diocesan curia of Knoxville in 1996, and later pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa, in addition to his curial duties, on May 14, 2007.

In 2002, Johnston and two other priests, Kevin and John Dowling, saved a father and his two children while hiking in Glacier National Park in Montana. For their actions, the three priests were presented with the Citizen's Award for Bravery by the Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, 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."

The faith and generosity of his mother and the teachings of Pope John Paul II inspired him to enter the priesthood, and then entered Saint Meinrad School of Theology, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. Johnston was ordained for the Diocese of Knoxville by Bishop Anthony O'Connell on June 9, 1990; he was one of the first two priests ordained for the diocese after its creation.

James Vann Johnston Jr. was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, to James (an accountant) and Pat (née Huber) Vann Johnston; his grandparents were Baptists. He has four younger siblings: two sisters, Beth and Amy, and one brother, Steve. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America as a child, also being awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. After attending Knoxville Catholic High School, he studied at the University of Tennessee, from where he obtained his degree in electrical engineering in 1982, and then worked for an engineering consulting firm in Houston, Texas, until 1985.

James Vann Johnston Jr. (born October 16, 1959) is an American bishop of the Catholic Church. He is the Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph. He served as the Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau from 2008 to 2015.