Name: Jon Haden
Relation to the school: Jon Haden has had 3 daughters attend STA: Beth Haden (graduating class of 2002), Annie Haden (class of 2004), and Tracy Haden (class of 2009).
Q: What prompted you to donate to the chapel or why did you feel that the chapel would be a valuable addition to the school?
A: Well, with me having three daughters here and then my sister also went to school here. So, we had a lot of connections with the school. We live in the neighborhood. We think that the school is great for both for the Catholic community and the Kansas City community. So we thought it was important that the school stayed strong and made improvements. We were very supportive of increasing the Catholic identity and just thought that a stand-alone chapel just makes sense for the school rather than the small facility over where it is now. Someplace where more students, including the entire class, could gather to celebrate.
Q: What part of the project were you most supportive of?
A: Well, I think that the chapel was first and foremost. I’m not sure that the project would have been done at this time were it not for the alumni and benefactors supporting the chapel. But it also presented the opportunity to the meet the needs that the school had in terms of further classrooms and advanced technology. So, putting the two together just made absolute sense.
Name: Kurt Wiedeman
Relation to the school: Uncle of STA freshman, Katie Wiedeman
Q: What prompted you to donate to the chapel or why did you feel that the chapel would be a valuable addition to the school?
A: Well, bringing the chapel where the Eucharist is celebrated I think is an important part of the Catholic education and you know was, although it was here, it was lacking in a dramatic way. Plus, I love the fact that [the chapel’s]going to be right-front and center. If any visitor or student or faculty or anybody that’s associated with the school arrives [the chapel] will be one of the first things they see and they’re going to know that that is the core of what goes on here at St. Teresa’s.
Q: It that what you were most supportive of, the chapel itself or the classrooms and new technology?
A: I think the chapel itself primarily but what the economics makes sense to have the classrooms especially when you have the building structure and the space makes a lot of sense. It was nice to be able to cooperate the two together.
Name: Lynn O’Leary
Relation to the school: Mother of STA junior, Mary O’Leary
Q: Why do you feel that the church would be a valuable addition to the school?
A: The building of the St. Joseph chapel at St. Teresa’s is so important to our Catholic faith. As one of the members of the mother’s prayer group, I feel that having a Catholic presence on the campus with the new chapel being built in the forefront of the campus just is a great way to show the community our Catholic roots and to help our daughters understand the Catholic faith. And so that is my biggest prayer for the chapel. That it would be something that would enhance everyone’s Catholic identity and Catholic faith. Just like Bishop Finn was saying at the ceremony this morning, he was talking about St. Joseph being the head of the church and being that that’s what the chapel is named after. He’s the head of the church, he’s the head of Jesus, he’s the head of the Blessed Mother. Not just the head but the protector. He talked about St. Joseph being the protector. So it’s a great way to place our trust in the faith of St. Joseph watching over the community and leading our girls to stronger Catholic identities.
Q: It that what you support the most, the chapel itself?
A: Yes.
Q: Did you feel that the academic and the technology also factored into your support of the new building?
A: Oh yeah. The entire campaign is wonderful and the school is growing at such a rate that it needs the additional classrooms and it would be great to have more space for more classrooms at St. Teresa’s.
