Newman plans take shape
Julia Hansen
Issue date: 10/18/07 Section: News
After months of homelessness and hardships, members of Truman's Catholic Newman Center have two things to smile about.
Last weekend the Newman Center received a promise of more than $14,000 in donations and also laid architectural plans for the re-building of a new center after the original building was destroyed by a fire in May.
The Newman Center had a Mass last Saturday during Family Day at the site of the previous building. Five hundred people attended the "Mass on the Slab" conducted by Newman Center's Father Bill Kottenstette, said Bettie Lesczynski, Newman Center director.
Prior to the Mass, two families from Mary Immaculate Catholic Parish pledged that if Truman parents donated $4,000, they would each match that donation. After Mass ended, the donations were totaled in the Cornerstone house. Mass participants cheered, and Lesczynski jumped up and down as she announced the $5,305 total. After the announcement, another Truman family wrote a $1,000 check, bringing the total mass donation to $6,305, said Deana Judah, senior and Newman Center executive officer.
"The first thought to come to my mind [about the donations] is extreme gratefulness because we had this rainstorm looming over our head the entire time," Judah said. "We were wondering if we were going to have to cancel the Mass, and because we had had the two Mary Immaculate Parishioners pledge to match a $4,000 offertory, that was sort of a pressure for us. However, I feel that once all the parents came together, there was quite a wonderful turnout for the Mass, and you just feel this very overwhelming sense of support out there during the service."
Before Saturday, the architecture plans for the building quickly were drawn to show to parents during Family Day weekend.
A St. Louis-based architectural firm, Killeen Studio Architects, found out about the Newman Center project from a Truman student months ago, architect Michael Killeen said.
Kottenstette and Lesczynski chose the firm after a lengthy interviewing process. Killeen said they scrutinized his credentials and eventually chose his company instead of other potential architects who applied for the job.
Last weekend the Newman Center received a promise of more than $14,000 in donations and also laid architectural plans for the re-building of a new center after the original building was destroyed by a fire in May.
The Newman Center had a Mass last Saturday during Family Day at the site of the previous building. Five hundred people attended the "Mass on the Slab" conducted by Newman Center's Father Bill Kottenstette, said Bettie Lesczynski, Newman Center director.
Prior to the Mass, two families from Mary Immaculate Catholic Parish pledged that if Truman parents donated $4,000, they would each match that donation. After Mass ended, the donations were totaled in the Cornerstone house. Mass participants cheered, and Lesczynski jumped up and down as she announced the $5,305 total. After the announcement, another Truman family wrote a $1,000 check, bringing the total mass donation to $6,305, said Deana Judah, senior and Newman Center executive officer.
"The first thought to come to my mind [about the donations] is extreme gratefulness because we had this rainstorm looming over our head the entire time," Judah said. "We were wondering if we were going to have to cancel the Mass, and because we had had the two Mary Immaculate Parishioners pledge to match a $4,000 offertory, that was sort of a pressure for us. However, I feel that once all the parents came together, there was quite a wonderful turnout for the Mass, and you just feel this very overwhelming sense of support out there during the service."
Before Saturday, the architecture plans for the building quickly were drawn to show to parents during Family Day weekend.
A St. Louis-based architectural firm, Killeen Studio Architects, found out about the Newman Center project from a Truman student months ago, architect Michael Killeen said.
Kottenstette and Lesczynski chose the firm after a lengthy interviewing process. Killeen said they scrutinized his credentials and eventually chose his company instead of other potential architects who applied for the job.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Vicky Wehner
posted 10/18/07 @ 8:45 AM CST
It would have been nice if someone had botyered to check the identity of the people in the photo about the Newman Center. The priest is not Father Bill but rather Father Pat Shortt from MAry Immaculate parish, and the others are not University officials. (Continued…)
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