KANSAS CITY, KAN. ? A top Roman Catholic bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Louis will succeed the archbishop in Kansas City, Kan., when he retires.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced the appointment of Bishop Joseph F. Naumann as coadjutor archbishop on Wednesday. In March, he will begin assisting current Archbishop James P. Keleher.

Keleher, who has led about 190,000 Catholics in northeast Kansas since September 1993, had requested the appointment.

“I just felt, serving as archbishop for over a decade and moving toward my 73rd year, that both the archdiocese and I could well utilize a dynamic, young bishop who would help me and, someday, succeed me,” Keleher said.

Naumann, 54, has been a priest for 28 years and a bishop for six years. He assisted Cardinal Justin F. Rigali as one of two auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, where he also served as vicar general and vicar general for finance.