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Faith for the Future – Campaign FAQ’s

Faith for the Future

Archdiocese of St. Louis

20 Archbishop May Drive

St. Louis, MO 63119

Phone: 314.792.7680 Fax: 314.792.7229

What is Faith for the Future?

Faith for the Future is a campaign that aims to meet the specific needs of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. The target goal for the campaign was $50 million.

What has been accomplished?

The seminary building is nearly 80 years old. Prior to the Faith for the Future campaign, very few improvements had been done to the original structure. The physical and financial needs supported though Faith for the Future include:

Infrastructure

Providing a suitable living and educational environment for seminarians is imperative. The recent renovations allowed the seminary to address significant needs regarding the building’s infrastructure. These improvements include new plumbing, heating and cooling systems, improved kitchen facilities, and enhanced technology systems. Our seminarians will now live in a building with working plumbing, central air conditioning, and efficient heating.

Efficiencies have been introduced to reduce ongoing operational expenses. The new windows and climate control system will decrease the energy usage in the building. Landscaping solutions were implemented to reduce the amount of time and money spent mowing the lawn. A new water main was installed to minimize ongoing issues with the plumbing.

The campus has become more accessible and secure. New elevators, wheelchair ramps, and lifts have increased accessibility for disabled seminarians and friends. Security measures, including a card access systems and new fencing, were incorporated in the project to ensure a safe environment for our seminarians to learn and pray.

Faculty Offices

The priests and lay faculty at Kenrick-Glennon are respected educators and theologians, and are committed to providing a quality environment for faith, formation and learning, to prepare men for their life-long service as priests of Jesus Christ for the twenty-first century. In order to fulfill its mission of instilling a priestly identity in its growing number of candidates, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary requires a larger faculty and staff. To help attract and retain professors of the highest caliber, sufficient office and meeting space was created in a newly-constructed wing on the east side of the building.

The rooftop of the faculty wing provides a terrace with indoor and outdoor gathering spaces which can be reserved by seminarians for meetings or events. Seminarians enjoy cooking meals together and entertaining their families here during visits to the seminary.

Seminarian Rooms

The beautiful campus setting in Shrewsbury, MO is an ideal place to foster faith and encourage growth in our seminarians. However, portions of the facility did not meet the changing needs of our seminarians, faculty, alumni and guests. The proximity of faculty offices to dormitory rooms was not in compliance with newly established protocols for seminaries. Those offices were moved to the new faculty wing and the empty spaces were repurposed as residential areas. The renovated building can accommodate 141 seminarians in private rooms – a 30% increase from current enrollment.

During the renovations, the layout of the rooms for the theology seminarians was reconfigured. Each theologian now shares a restroom with one other seminarian. College seminarians have dormitory-style rooms with restrooms and showers down the hall. Each seminarian has a single room with basic furniture, including a bed (extra-long), dresser, desk, chair, closet, and sink. The furniture is very mobile, allowing each seminarian to set up the room as he wishes.

Fr. Emil Kapaun Student Center

The former power plant was converted into a student center during the renovations. Prior to the renovations, the building contained industrial washers and dryers, giant vintage boilers, pipes and ductwork. The building was completely retrofitted to create a recreation center for the seminarians – a place to enhance the unique fraternity of the seminary.

The main level of the building houses a lounge for the seminarians in the School of Theology. There is a separate lounge for the college seminarians and the school bookstore on the upper floor of the building. The lower level is a large workout facility with exercise equipment, lockers and showers.

Learning Resource Center

The Charles L. Souvay, C.M. Memorial Library was expanded into an underutilized gymnasium during the renovations. The library now occupies over 18,000 square feet of space on three levels. Improvements to the layout, technology and lighting have made the library more conducive to private and group study.The facilities have also been greatly enhanced with information technology systems, resulting in a state-of-the-art library and resource center.

Endowment

The endowment helps defray the cost of undergraduate and graduate level education and living expenses for seminarians. Current budgetary needs are supported by the generous donors to the Annual Catholic Appeal and through the seminary’s own fundraising efforts. By increasing the current endowment established in 1997, the seminary will ensure that it always has the resources to educate and form those who are called to a vocation to the priesthood, and will be viewed positively by the accreditation board.

Chapel

The Chapel of St. Joseph is the heart of seminary life. Renovations to the chapel included the construction of a new altar of sacrifice, installation of a new pipe organ (in progress), the construction of a wooden ciborium (baldacchino) in the apse, the painting of the chapel ceiling, and the refurbishment of the wood in the chapel (pews, floors, etc). The new altar of sacrifice was consecrated by Archbishop Carlson in May 2015. For further details on the chapel renovations, click here.

What if my financial situation changes and I am not able to fulfill my pledge?

While pledges are not legally binding, the hope is that all commitments are made with the intention of being fulfilled. A donor who cannot fulfill a commitment to Faith for the Future, even temporarily, is encouraged to contact the Office of Stewardship and the Annual Catholic Appeal.

To whom should payment checks be made payable to?

Checks should be made payable to Faith for the Future.

More Questions?

If we have not answered your questions, please contact the Campaign Office. Faith for the Future Archdiocese of St. Louis 20 Archbishop May Drive St. Louis, MO 63119 Phone: 314.792.7680 Fax: 314.792.7229