The ornate church at St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary College escaped serious damage in the flood, but virtually every building on the remote campus north of Covington took on water, including the woodworking shop where monks make handcrafted caskets for the public. More than 100 students who live and study at the abbey have been sent home as crews work to clean up the mess left behind by the Bogue Falaya River a couple of hundred yards from the historic campus in St. Benedict.
James Shields, manager of communications at the abbey, said the campus and its church and gift shop are closed to visitors until further notice. Students are not expected to resume classes until March 21.
Shields said more than two feet of water entered most of the buildings on the sprawling campus, including dormitories, classrooms, the dining hall and the woodworking shop. Although the main structure of the church did not flood, its basement took in water. The church's power system is located in the basement, which is also used for storage.
Students were trapped on campus for a day or so until the river crested and the water subsided, but no injuries were reported. By Sunday (March 13), the campus was once again accessible, but off limits to the public so that cleanup efforts could continue.
"Pretty much everything is on hold," Shields said.
The flood has at least temporarily halted three major programs on the 1,500 acre campus. In 2007, the abbey established St. Joseph's Woodworks, which makes and sells caskets to the public to raise money for the school and to help pay for the medical and educational needs of Benedictine monks.
The casket-making operation created headlines when the Louisiana State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors initiated legal action against the abbey, citing a state law that says caskets can only be sold to the public by a state-licensed funeral director at a state-licensed funeral home. The ensuing legal battle went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, with the monks prevailing in 2013.
The abbey also runs a bakery that produces thousands of loaves of bread to give to the poor and homeless. In addition, a bee-keeping operation based at the abbey produces honey that is sold at the gift shop.
The abbey celebrated its 125th anniversary last year. It was founded in 1889 near Ponchatoula and moved to St. Tammany Parish in 1901. It was wiped out by a fire in 1906 then rebuilt thanks in part to donations from the Fabacher family of New Orleans, owners of the Jackson Brewery, and Andrew Carnegie. The church, whose walls are adorned by Dutch monk Gregory De Wit's elaborate artwork, was dedicated in 1932.
James Shields, manager of communications at the abbey, said the campus and its church and gift shop are closed to visitors until further notice. Students are not expected to resume classes until March 21.
Shields said more than two feet of water entered most of the buildings on the sprawling campus, including dormitories, classrooms, the dining hall and the woodworking shop. Although the main structure of the church did not flood, its basement took in water. The church's power system is located in the basement, which is also used for storage.
Students were trapped on campus for a day or so until the river crested and the water subsided, but no injuries were reported. By Sunday (March 13), the campus was once again accessible, but off limits to the public so that cleanup efforts could continue.
"Pretty much everything is on hold," Shields said.
The flood has at least temporarily halted three major programs on the 1,500 acre campus. In 2007, the abbey established St. Joseph's Woodworks, which makes and sells caskets to the public to raise money for the school and to help pay for the medical and educational needs of Benedictine monks.
The casket-making operation created headlines when the Louisiana State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors initiated legal action against the abbey, citing a state law that says caskets can only be sold to the public by a state-licensed funeral director at a state-licensed funeral home. The ensuing legal battle went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, with the monks prevailing in 2013.
The abbey also runs a bakery that produces thousands of loaves of bread to give to the poor and homeless. In addition, a bee-keeping operation based at the abbey produces honey that is sold at the gift shop.
The abbey celebrated its 125th anniversary last year. It was founded in 1889 near Ponchatoula and moved to St. Tammany Parish in 1901. It was wiped out by a fire in 1906 then rebuilt thanks in part to donations from the Fabacher family of New Orleans, owners of the Jackson Brewery, and Andrew Carnegie. The church, whose walls are adorned by Dutch monk Gregory De Wit's elaborate artwork, was dedicated in 1932.
No comments:
Post a Comment