A post-flood update from St. Jospeh Abbey and Seminary College

I received this email today with the updated news of the goings-on at St. Joseph Seminary College and Abbey after the March 11th flood:

April 26, 2016 Greetings from Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College, We hope this email finds you well and enjoying these glorious days of spring. As the new Director of Institutional Advancement at Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for the community wide outpouring of love and support we received after historic floods swept through our campus on March 11th. Of the first three phases of our recovery – identified as Clean-Up, Remediation, and Reconstruction – we remain in the second, the campus abuzz with response teams and cleanup crews working tirelessly to fully restore our campus and grounds. Our seminarians returned to campus after a two week sojourn following the floods and their energy and enthusiasm have restored vibrancy to our grounds. True to their vow of stability, the monks have remained unwavering in their daily rhythm of prayer and work in the midst of all that has befallen this community over the past month. Some of the senior monks have been able to return to the monastery following displacement while others remain generously hosted and cared for by our neighbors, the Carmelite nuns, and those at the Christwood Retirement Center in Covington. We are happy to report that Saint Joseph Woodworks is operational and back to work making caskets and cremation urns. Jeff Horchoff of ABBEE HONEY has been busy collecting swarms from around the area and is overjoyed to have twelve hives back. Pennies for Bread will be in need of new equipment to resume their service and mission, and the Retreat Center, which was slated for upcoming renovation, will need additional repairs. Our beloved chapel is scheduled to reopen in July, when we can begin offering services again to our faithful community. For more specific details on our flood recovery and the financial burden it has caused, please see here. To continue to assist us in our recovery, here are a couple ways you can help: Please consider making a gift, large or small, here. You may designate what specifically you’d like your charitable donation to go towards. If you are interested in making a significant donation to fund a particular building or project, please call.  Though the Abbey remains closed to the public, we are hosting visitors who want to partner with us in recovery. It is with sincere gratitude and humble hearts that we thank all of our friends, near and far, for the charitable gifts and donations you have so generously sent to assist with our recovery efforts. The road back to full recovery will be long, but we rejoice that we share that road with such a faithful community. Let us remember, especially in times such as these, that through Him all things are possible. We thank you for your love, support and prayers and are grateful that we share a Creator who has providence over all of us and this task before us. In Gratitude, Leslie A. Tate Director of Institutional Advancement Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College 75376 River Road Saint Benedict, LA 70457 Office: 985-867-2235 sjasc.edu | saintjosephabbey.com | helptheabbey.com