Tower Topics ~ Spring 2003

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Enthusiasm greets early campaign efforts

One of the great joys of leading a capital campaign is that you are able to meet and talk with so many friends, says Abbot Gregory Polan.

The Abbot and members of his Campaign Planning Committee have met with much enthusiasm in their travels in the initial months of the public phase of “A Living Tradition: The Conception Abbey and Conception Seminary Campaign.”

In fact, four months into the public phase, the campaign is only $1.2 million away from receiving a $1 million challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation of Tulsa, Okla.

“When we chose the name ‘A Living Tradition’ for our campaign, we hoped it would be a way to link our rich history with the excitement and hope of the future,” Abbot Gregory said. “But as we’ve traveled around the Midwest, we have been pleasantly surprised and greatly encouraged by how vibrant and alive our tradition is in the hearts of our many friends and benefactors. We hope the completion of this campaign will in some way show our gratitude.”

After two years of planning, and a 14-month silent phase of the campaign, the Abbot and Father Benedict Neenan, president-rector of Conception Seminary College, wasted no time in getting to work once the campaign was announced to the public last October. Regional fund-raising campaigns have been launched in Kansas City, Wichita, Omaha, Des Moines and Northwest Missouri, and so far $4.1 million has been raised toward the Mabee grant for construction of the Welcome Center and renovation of St. Maur Hall. In a component of the campaign separate from construction and renovation, an additional $1.6 million has been raised for the endowment, special projects and operations.

With seminary enrollment at a 30-year high and more than 11,000 guests, retreatants and pilgrims visiting the abbey each year, the monks explored ways to better serve the people who come to Conception.

The result was an extensive 10-year master plan, which called for construction of a new Welcome Center to serve guests, renovation of St. Maur Hall, the 100-year-old main seminary building, and improvements to the abbey’s roads and parking areas.

“Our decision to move forward with a campaign was not made lightly,” the Abbot said. “But we realized to better prepare the young men of our seminary for the priesthood and to properly welcome each of our guests as Christ, major improvements to facilities were needed.

“And from what we've seen in the early stages of our efforts, our friends agree.”