Tower Topics ~ Summer 2005

Back to Table of Contents

Alumni Reunion will highlight St. Maur Hall makeover

An open house in the freshly renovated St. Maur Hall will highlight this year’s Alumni Reunion Sept. 22-23.

The seminary’s 103-year-old main building has received a major makeover which includes a new seminary chapel, which was paid for by alumni, expansion of classroom space, improved classroom technology, accesses for disabled persons and an open, atrium-style entry way and stair case. The renovation is the second project in the “A Living Tradition” campaign, which also funded construction of St. Raphael Hall, the abbey’s new welcome center which opened last May.

Fundraising for the campaign continues.

This year’s Alumni Award for Distinguished Service will be presented to Msgr. Adrian Herbek and Kenneth Williams at the conclusion of the reunion Mass.

Msgr. Herbek is a priest of the Lincoln Diocese who currently serves as pastor of St. Mary and Assumption parishes in David City. He completed eight years of college and theology studies at Conception in 1959, and went on to a distinguished 46-year career in Catholic education. For the first seven years he taught, coached, directed marching band, drove a school bus and pretty much any other duty that was needed. In 1966, he was named principal of Aquinas High School in David City, and five years later was appointed superintendent, a post he held until 1995. He remains a strong advocate of Catholic education, committing half of his parishes’ $2 million annual budget to local Catholic schools.

Ken Williams, who attended Conception from 1981-83, has for the past 13 years worked in various social justice efforts. He currently is director of the New Voices National Fellowship program, which aids in the development of “the next generation of social justice leaders, including the areas of human rights, women’s rights, racial justice, migrant and refugee rights, HIV/AIDS policy.

Previously, he was a national field director for the federal Emergency Medical Services for Children program, where he worked with state health departments and university medical centers to improve health care for children, including injury prevention, emergency care, and rehabilitation. He also helped develop standards for family-centered health care and worked with national religious leaders in developing advocacy strategy for child health concerns.

Before that he organized religious leaders throughout the country and community leaders in key Congressional districts to advocate for the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, along the way securing the participation of the U.S. Catholic cardinals and Republican Senator John Danforth of Missouri.

A new central staircase is one of the features Alumni will see at the grand opening of St. Maur Hall at the September 22-23 Alumni Reunion.

Reunion registration and tours of St. Maur Hall will take place throughout the day Thursday, Sept. 22, followed at 3 p.m. by a blessing of the building. Beginning with Mass at 4:30 p.m., the evening will include a banquet and social.

At 9 a.m. Friday, there will be an Alumni Forum on a topic yet to be decided in the Alumni Union (Candy Store).

Reunion invitations will be mailed soon. For more information, contact the Office of Development at (660) 944-2821.

We welcome your comments:
communications@conception.edu
www.conceptionabbey.org

Back to Table of Contents

© 2000 by Conception Abbey, Inc. All rights reserved. Site last revised 1 June, 2005.
Conception Abbey, P.O. Box 501, Conception, Missouri 64433  Telephone: 660-944-2821
If you encounter any problems, please contact the webmaster@conception.edu
or if you have other questions or comments, please contact communications@conception.edu