PERRYVILLE CITY OFFICIALS ASK THAT VINCENTIANS KEEP RARE BOOKS COLLECTION IN THEIR CITY

PERRYVILLE -- City officials want a Catholic organization to keep its collection of rare books, paperweights and art pieces in Perryville rather than move it to Southeast Missouri State University's proposed River Campus museum.

The extensive collection is housed in the library at St. Mary's of the Barrens, a former Catholic seminary in Perryville owned by the Congregation of the Mission or Vincentians.

Southeast wants the Congregation of the Mission, headquartered in the St. Louis suburb of Earth City, to donate or loan the collection to the university.

University officials have been seeking the collection as plans have been developing for the new River Campus in Cape Girardeau.

But Perryville officials said they weren't aware of the university's request until they read about it in an April 22 article in the Southeast Missourian.

City Administrator Craig Lindsley said officials want the collection to remain in Perryville for use as a "cornerstone" in a proposed Southeast Missouri State University higher education center.

The university wants to lease the St. Mary's library for use as a higher education center, replacing a smaller center in Perry County.

City officials, the Perry County Industrial Development Authority and Perry County Presiding Commissioner Tom Sutterer have voiced support for keeping the collection at St. Mary's.

Lindsley said Monday that they support the effort of a Vincentian priest at St. Mary's, the Rev. Charles Shelby, to develop a heritage museum and tourist center at the Catholic complex.

Lindsley and Perryville Mayor Robert Miget voiced their support in a letter Wednesday to Shelby.

"While we understand that the collections are the property of the Congregation of the Mission, they are also, in a very real sense, a part of our community's heritage and history.

"The city of Perryville would support any reasonable efforts to keep these collections in our city and would be willing to assist you and any organization you support to work towards this goal," the two city officials wrote.

Lindsley said the Vincentian order has been in Perryville for about 180 years.

"We feel that if Southeast Missouri State University is truly interested in having a satellite campus in Perryville, this would be an excellent cornerstone to stimulate development of the campus," he said.

Dr. Ken Dobbins, Southeast president, said school officials hadn't discussed the proposed move with Perryville city officials.

He said school officials have had private discussions with representatives of the Congregation of the Mission. The Catholic group's advisory council is slated to meet this month to review the university's proposal.

Dobbins said the university doesn't want the Vincentians to move the collection out of this area.

Dobbins said some pieces of the collection could be housed at the new River Campus while other items could be displayed at St. Mary's of the Barrens.

"There could be a rotation of the materials," he suggested.

"We want to work with the city and the Vincentian fathers to make sure that the prize collection is kept in Southeast Missouri," he said.