Preserving Today, Ensuring Tomorrow
Over the last 25 years, we have carried out many projects to shape our campus and community for our work today and to handle the ever-changing road ahead. Through these years, you have journeyed alongside us, supporting us in ministering to the needs of the Church and her people. You worked with us to renovate our Basilica, monastery, and seminary administration building. You helped us to transform our campus with the construction of the St. Raphael Welcome Center, St. Gabriel Guest House, a new addition to St. Stephen Infirmary, and the new seminary dorm, Good Shepherd Hall, along with the monastery renovation. Together with the Lord, we have accomplished much work and have been entrusted with many blessings.
Now, it is time for us to be faithful stewards of the many gifts entrusted to our care. Relying on God’s providence, we have decided to launch a $1.7 million Faithful Stewards mini-campaign to address our top facility needs. The Basilica and other buildings on campus show a need for repair beyond normal day-to-day maintenance. The beautiful windows of the Basilica need new protective glass to shield the stained glass, interior artwork, and pipe organ from humidity and condensation. The upper floors of St. Maur Hall are also at risk from moisture buildup. The HVAC systems that support these structures have reached their intended lifespan and are in need of vital updates. This Faithful Stewards minicampaign will allow us to maintain the buildings and missions in which donors like you have invested over the past two decades.
In January of this year, we launched the silent phase of this mini-campaign, and the support and generosity we’ve received have been humbling. We are honored to share with you that, seven months in, we have already raised just over $1 million. That’s more than halfway to our goal of $1.7 million! The Lord continues to call us to this work, and you continue to support us in answering that call.
Together, we carved the shape of our community and provided vital space for our ministries to thrive. And now is the time for us to be faithful stewards of the many blessings entrusted to our care. If you are interested in making a gift, contact our Development Office at (660) 944-2824, email donations@conception.edu, or make a gift online at campaign.conceptionabbey.org.
TOTAL CAMPAIGN GOAL: $1.7 million
Preserving the Basilica | $1,475,000
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception has served our monks, community, and pilgrims from around the world for more than 125 years. In 1999, we embarked on a complete renovation to update the sacred space. Now, a quarter-century later, the systems installed to preserve our Basilica, such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), fans, and operating software, need updates or complete replacements. The aging HVAC system and the protective covers for our stained-glass windows compromise climate control, resulting in condensation and humidity levels that put our historic murals, artwork, and pipe organ at risk for damage.
Replacing the HVAC system and outer glass windows will preserve the beauty and purpose of this most sacred space, enabling us to continue our lives of prayer and service to the Church, welcoming thousands of guests and retreatants to our Basilica so that they, too, may encounter Christ at Conception
Ensuring a safe learning environment for seminarians | $225,000
St. Maur Hall has served us in our work of education and seminary formation for 123 years. In the early 2000s, we renovated the entire building to improve classroom space and functionality for our growing student body. The HVAC systems installed at that time are reaching their 15-20-year expected lifespan and are having a difficult time maintaining the building’s temperature and moisture levels.
Last summer, we realized that the system was struggling to properly remove moisture from the building, causing a heightened risk for mold growth and structural damage. We need to replace key components of the HVAC system to prevent further moisture problems and preserve the integrity of the building and overall air quality. St. Maur Hall is our main seminary academic building, which houses our classrooms, faculty and staff offices, and conference rooms. Updating the HVAC system will ensure the building’s service for priestly formation for decades to come.
Posted in General, Monastery News