To celebrate the College of Saint Benedict’s welcoming spirit, the Colleen McCormick Malone ’80 and Mike Malone ’80 announced a major gift to the Illuminating Lives campaign in support of the Malone Admission Welcome Center in CSB’s Schoenecker Commons. The Malone Admission Welcome Center is the beautiful, inviting space through which many prospective Bennies and Johnnies will first experience the hospitality of the CSB/SJU community and the connections that are made that last a lifetime.
The new welcome center is a modern, two-story atrium space that bridges two historic former monastic buildings – Caedmon, built in 1911, that was originally built as a horse barn and served more recently as a residence for the sisters, and the Artisan Studio, built in 1962 as a carpentry shop, and most recently used as studio space for both sisters and lay artists.
“When Mary Hinton told us about the process of reevaluating the space needs on campus, the savings realized in that reconfiguration and incorporating the Benedictine old space with new space, we knew right away that we liked this plan,” says Colleen. Colleen and Mike were particularly impressed with the orientation of the welcome center. Its large glass windows perfectly frame an amazing view of the Sacred Heart Chapel. They also enjoyed the way the plan helped Saint Benedict’s Monastery, while saving the college and its students money.
“The space is a beautiful representation of the growth of both CSB and SJU, said Colleen. “I am still amazed at how people had that vision for these old buildings.”
Colleen and Mike feel fortunate in life and fortunate to have had CSB and SJU in their lives. “We talked and wondered whether we should give now and watch this come to fruition, or wait until we die to give,” Colleen says. “By doing it now, we can help pay it forward with a new generation of Bennies and Johnnies. Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s have grown by leaps and bounds since we were here. We want to see that continue. These young people are amazing.”