On June 27, 2012 Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity and friends gathered in Manitowoc, WI, for a historic groundbreaking celebrating the joint venture of Holy Family Conservatory of Music and Silver Lake College of the Holy Family to build a new Music Education and Performance Center.
Community Director Sister Louise Hembrecht, Dr. George F. Arnold, President of Silver Lake College of the Holy Family, and Sister Laura Wolf, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Silver Lake College and President of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Sponsored Ministries Inc., welcomed the crowd.
While Bishop David L. Ricken provided the afternoon invocation and blessing, Father Dan Felton, board member and Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, offered a closing litany inviting intercessory prayer from Franciscan saints and other heavenly patrons of musicians and construction workers.
Read Sister Laura’s comments.
Good afternoon. I am pleased to be here this afternoon representing the Board of Directors of Silver Lake College of the Holy Family at this historic event. We are both proud and excited about this event because today we begin a new phase in the life of the college evidenced by the groundbreaking of a new Music Education and Performance Center. This event is an important step in communicating the vibrancy and commitment of Silver Lake College of the Holy Family to quality higher education and to service to our community.
Events like these don’t just happen overnight. Today is the culmination of over four years of dreaming, planning, evaluating and fund-raising. We know that the ground breaking is not the end of the process and that there is still more work to be done. We are proud to have gotten this far. As a board we have spent countless hours struggling with that which we would like to build and that which we can afford to build. I hope next year this time when you see our completed building it will testify to the balance between beauty, functionality and fiscal prudence that went in to it.
This project is also an exciting opportunity to unite two key ministries of the Franciscan Sisters-Holy Family Conservatory of Music and Silver Lake College. We are well aware of the history and traditions of both institutions and are eager to secure the future of both. Through this building, we can continue to provide beautiful music and talented musicians to this community. It is an exciting prospect.
On behalf of the board I would like to thank all of you for coming today to share in our excitement, for being part of this project through your financial and personal support and for your ongoing support of the college and conservatory.
