After 28 years here, Monsignor Vince Krische will leave St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, 1631 Crescent Road, for a new assignment.

St. Lawrence is the Catholic Church’s ministry to Kansas University.

“The center and the community have been a great part of my life and I will miss it here,” Krische said Monday. “I am grateful for the opportunities the university has given me and I am grateful for the community.”

He will report to his new assignment at St. Ann Catholic Church in Prairie Village on July 15.

Krische’s leaving is part of a succession plan that members of the church and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas have been working on for some time.

There has always been a concern over replacing Krische, said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.

“St. Lawrence is a unique place, being at a university, and it’s kind of important to have long-term leadership in place,” he said. “Monsignor has built up an incredible program and we wanted to make sure that continued. In a sense, there’s no good time to replace someone like monsignor. But we feel we have found an ideal candidate.”

Krische’s replacement is the Rev. Steve Beseau. Beseau attended Kansas University and served on the board at St. Lawrence until recently, Naumann said.

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Beseau will take up the assignment as director of the center on March 1, after he completes his doctoral studies in Rome. During the interim, Mike Scherschligt, director of ministry, will serve as the director.

Krische noted that his new assignment in Johnson County isn’t far from Lawrence. But he said he would miss the small-town feel of the community and the ability to get anywhere in town in about 15 minutes.

“I’ve felt privileged to serve here,” he said. “With the help of alumni and parents, we’ve been able to build one of the best programs in the country.”

Because a good portion of St. Lawrence’s members are students and are gone for the summer, e-mails will be sent announcing Krische’s new assignment. Information also will be posted on the church’s Web site, www.st-lawrence.org.

St. Ann Catholic Church has about 1,000 families in the parish and also has a school tied with it, Krische said.

Krische was ordained about 40 years ago. Prior to serving as the director of the St. Lawrence Campus Catholic Center, he was at Washburn University in Topeka and taught religion at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park.