† 2013
Before entering the St. Fidelis Seminary in nearby Herman, Fr. Conrad lived on Polk Street in Butler. He was ordained a priest in 1946. Fr. Simon is widely remembered as a teacher, communicator and confessor. And till the end he was best known as a consummate gentleman and professional. Through all of his years of ministry, Father was known for his well-crafted and thoughtful preaching. On two occasions his audience was a national one. In 1954, he and fellow Capuchin Fr. Bertin Roll conducted the nation’s first televised youth mission, which was broadcast live for eight weeks on CBS network television’s “Look Up and Live.” In 1958, he also preached on CBS network radio’s “Church of the Air.” Father wrote two books: Master and Model, a life of Christ, and Brothers of the Sun, a brief history of the Capuchins, which had press runs totaling 40,000.
