By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A Catholic priest in St. Joseph who failed to show up for Mass this morning apparently committed suicide.
An official with the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City and St. Joseph confirmed that Fr. Evan Harkins, Pastor at St. James Parish and Parochial Administrator at St. Patrick’s Parish in St. Joseph, had apparently taken his own life at the St. James property off King Hill Avenue in St. Joseph’s south end.
“In the face of this devastatingly tragic news, we ask that you pray for Fr. Harkins, his family, and the parish and school communities that he served as well as all of our priests. We will communicate further as we are able,” Jeremy Lillig, communications director for the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City and St. Joseph, wrote in an email.