Tower Topics ~ Summer 2001

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Conception Abbey loses three friends

Bishop John J. Sullivan, a longtime friend of Conception Abbey who led the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph from 1977 to 1993, died peacefully Feb. 11 following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 80.

Bishop Sullivan was a charter member of Conception Seminary College’s Board of Regents, serving for nearly 20 years.

“He remained a loyal supporter of the work of the seminary college,” said Abbot Gregory Polan, who served as rector during Bishop Sullivan’s tenure on the board. “During the days that I was rector, he would remind me, ‘Those of you working in priestly formation today are among the unsung heroes in the Church. Your work is tough, but you do it well and with true dedication.’

“There was always a word of encouragement from this kind and gracious priest and bishop,” the Abbot recalled.


Martha Polan, mother of Abbot Gregory, died Feb. 14. She was 91. Mrs. Polan, a longtime supporter of Conception Abbey and Conception Seminary College, and her late husband have been memorialized by their family through the "Martha R. and Edward H. Polan Scholarship," which will go annually to a seminarian at Conception.


Sister Regina Buchholz, aunt of Conception Abbey’s Brother William Buchholz, died April 28. She was 88 years old. Sister Regina is the artist who crafted the tabernacle in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

“She was a gifted teacher, a devoted religious and a wonderful human being,” said Abbot Gregory Polan. “May she now enjoy the blessings of eternal life, following an earthly life filled with charity and goodness for so many others.”

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