A pastor who literally changed the landscape of faith in Lawrence by guiding creation of a major church campus on the city’s west side is moving on to a new assignment.

The Rev. James Shaughnessy, pastor of Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 6001 W. 15th St., announced in Sunday Masses that he would transfer from the more-than-3,000-member parish to serve as pastor of two small-town Kansas communities: Annunciation parish in Frankfort and St. Monica/St. Elizabeth parish in Blue Rapids.

“I’ve been here (at Corpus Christi) 12 years, which is kind of the common assignment term. The archdiocese asked last fall what I wanted to do. I said I would do whatever they wanted me to do, but if I did move, I would want to be closer to my parents, who are in failing health,” he said.

His parents live in Axtell, in Marshall County. Shaughnessy’s father is 92; his mother is 82.

Shaughnessy will celebrate his farewell Masses on July 11-12. The Rev. Michael Mulvany will replace him that weekend.

Mulvany presently serves as pastor of three parishes: St. Patrick in Osage City, St. Patrick in Scranton, and St. Francis of Assisi in Lapeer.

When Shaughnessy was named pastor of Corpus Christi in 1992, he was given a mandate from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas to create a new campus for the parish, formerly located at 1100 Kasold Drive.

“They started talking and dreaming about this (a campus) in 1985,” Shaughnessy said in an August 2000 interview.

“When I came to Corpus Christi in 1992, Archbishop (Ignatius J.) Strecker’s instructions to me were to build a new worship space. He didn’t tell me where, but that was one of the goals of my tenure here.”

Corpus Christi was formally established in 1981. The parish’s old building was built in 1984 and 1985.

Work began on the new, 25-acre campus in December 1998.

Also during his tenure, Shaughnessy was an important part of developing, constructing and expanding the Lawrence Catholic School, which serves Lawrence’s two Catholic parishes.

The school now has two campuses: one at Corpus Christi, which serves students in kindergarten through third grade; and one at St. John the Evangelist Church, 1229 Vt., which serves students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

The St. John campus is located at 1208 Ky.

Shaughnessy’s announcement Sunday was met with a variety of reactions from parishioners.

“Oh, some of them probably thought it was going to come; some of them didn’t know and were kind of shocked. I think the majority are sad to see me go,” he said.

“I’ve got mixed feelings. It’s going to be hard to leave — just all the people I have met that I’m close to.”

The Rev. Charles Polifka, pastor of St. John, offered praise for his colleague.

“I would say he has been wonderfully easy to work with. He is a down-to-earth kind of guy, just a tremendous pastor,” Polifka said.