They live secluded lives in a stone abbey near a privately owned forest in a rural part of eastern Iowa.
But the Trappist monks of New Melleray Abbey are not closed off from the world’s troubles.
Last week, in response to the coronavirus, the 22 monks living in the abbey, about 13 miles from Dubuque, decided to offer pine caskets to financially strapped families with members who have died from Covid-19.
So far they have not advertised beyond the Trappist Caskets website, and the orders have just begun to trickle in.
On Thursday (April 2), a family that lost five members to the virus asked for caskets. On Friday, five more requests came in.
The monks decided early on to close their guest house and church so as not to contribute to the spread of the disease.
But they wanted to do more. The men, who range in age from their late 30s to early 90s, had been offering free child caskets for years. Now they decided to offer adult pine caskets as well. (Shipping costs are not included.)
“Our traditional mode of showing hospitality has come to a halt,” said Abbot Mark Scott. “By offering these caskets to people in need, it’s another way to extend traditional monastic hospitality.”
The near-national shutdown has taken an especially tough toll on minorities and people with low incomes. More than 6.6 million people filed for unemployment from March 22 to 28, according to the Department of Labor.
With deaths mounting — more than 6,000 have died in the U.S. alone, and experts expect thousands more — the need is only expected to grow.
Source: Religion News Service
All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source