Seminary gets $2 million to endow chair in preaching

Published: 2007-05-24

ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) -- A group of Catholic philanthropic organizations has given St. Paul Seminary $2 million to endow a chair in homiletics in honor of St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop Harry J. Flynn. Gerald Rauenhorst, founder of Opus Corp., a Minneapolis-based national real estate development firm, and his wife, Henrietta, contributed personally to the endowment. Four foundations -- Opus Foundation, Better Way Foundation, Sieben Foundation and Opus Prize Foundation, each chaired by a member of the Rauenhorst family -- contributed the rest of the $2 million gift. The chair will be called the Archbishop Harry Flynn endowed chair in homiletics. Homiletics, the study of the art of preaching, is a standard course in all Catholic seminaries. Gerald Rauenhorst said, "Over the years our family has come to have enormous respect for Archbishop Flynn. We have all been particularly struck by his ability to consistently deliver homilies with passion, with intelligence and with great conviction."

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