A Nostalgic Return: Former Seminary Student Revisits Kane County Government Center

Jay Hopkins visited the Kane County Government Center campus in Geneva, taking a sentimental journey back in time. Hopkins had been a student at the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) High School Preparatory Seminary from his sophomore year to his graduation in 1972. The seminary property and its buildings, located on Batavia Ave. (Route 31) in Geneva, were sold to Kane County the same year. His class, consisting of nine students, was the last to graduate.

Hopkins says he decided to attend the seminary because of an early aspiration to become a Roman Catholic priest, inspired by the parish priests at his Catholic grade school in North Carolina. After completing his freshman year at a seminary in Asheville, NC, his family moved to Illinois, leading him to continue his studies at the MSC preparatory seminary in Geneva.

The visit marked Hopkins' second or third return to the property since the school closed and the campus became home to Kane County’s Government offices. His primary motivation was to see how the buildings and grounds had changed and to revisit the memories of a place that was once his home.  

Accompanied by Marc Smith from Kane County’s Building Department, Hopkins strolled through the hallways of the main building, a red brick four-story structure that remains largely unchanged on the outside since Hopkins was a seminary student in the ‘70s. “Two areas held particular significance for me,” explained Hopkins. “The former chapel, now serving as the Kane County Boardroom, felt sterile without its stained-glass windows, which was a stark contrast to the sacred space I once knew.” The top floor of the building, previously the dormitory, had also changed from a place of rest for students to housing Kane County’s busy Development, Permitting and GIS departments. 

Before ending his visit, Hopkins took a walk to the former seminary’s grotto, located on the southern edge of the Kane County Government Campus. He described the stone altar as a place of quiet reflection and prayer. “I was thrilled to see the restored grotto and plan to get in touch with the organization leading the preservation efforts to find out how? I can help,” said Hopkins. 

(Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., April 7, 2016)

The Kane County Government Center Campus now houses the offices of many Kane County Government departments and elected offices as it continues to serve the community in new ways while preserving its past. Learn more about the services and programs offered by Kane County by visiting www.countyofkane.org.