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| Bishop William P. O’Connor of Madison uses a specially engraved shovel to turn the first spadeful of dirt in groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Holy Name Seminary on September 9, 1962. (Catholic Herald file photo) |
Ninth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
In 1949, the Pallottine Fathers opened Queen of Apostles Seminary on Madison’s east side. They made it available to diocesan seminarians.
The growth of the Diocese of Madison was reflected in an increase in vocations.
By 1962, Queen of Apostles Seminary was filled to capacity, and neighboring seminaries were overcrowded.
In 1962, Bishop William P. O’Connor of Madison marked his 50th anniversary as a priest and his 20th year as a bishop.
As a special jubilee year project, Bishop O’Connor announced plans for the construction of a diocesan seminary.
Plans for Holy Name Seminary
Holy Name Seminary would be built on Madison’s west side on 30 acres of property donated by Mrs. Alma Ganser of Madison in memory of her late husband, Dr. William J. Ganser.
A financial campaign with the aim to raise up to $3,000,000 was organized. Msgr. Jerome J. Hastrich headed a building commission for the seminary.
Architects Krueger, Kraft, and Associates of Madison were chosen to design the building. The general contractor was the Anthony Grignano Company of Madison.
The plans for the seminary made great progress.
As of June 25, 1962, the Golden Jubilee Seminary Fund Campaign had $6,101,750 pledged in contributions, more than double the original goal.
Ground is broken
Ground was broken for the seminary on September 9, 1962.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Bishop O’Connor said, “I am grateful to Almighty God and to all the people whose generous contributions are making a minor seminary possible for the Diocese of Madison.”
The cornerstone for the seminary was laid on September 15, 1963, with 125 priests in attendance.
The Georgian-style structure would include 15 classrooms, a theater-auditorium, and a chapel designed in accord with new liturgical developments.
The seminary would accommodate 280 seminarians.
An Olympic-sized swimming pool, three baseball diamonds, football field, and collegiate size basketball court would provide venues for recreation and athletic competition.
A convent near the seminary was also being built to house the Sisters of Charity who would serve at the seminary.
More on Holy Name Seminary will be included in the next article.
Sources: Building Our Future in Faith: Commemorative History of the Catholic Diocese of Madison (1996); archives of the Catholic Herald newspaper.
Mary C. Uhler served on the staff of the Catholic Herald-Diocese of Madison for almost 47 years, the last 34 years as editor. She retired in July of 2020.