Monks Host Employee Christmas Party

On Thursday, December 13 the monks of New Melleray Abbey will host the annual Christmas Party for our dear employees.  We are blessed to have a few dozen of our neighbors employed at the monastery.  Without them, we could not devote ourselves to our God-given vocation, that is, to live as our Constitutions say, a life “wholly ordered to contemplation”.  Some of these employees are skilled wood-workers employed at Trappist Caskets.  A number of local women are “Family Counselors” at Trappist Caskets, routinely accompanying grieving families through the process of providing for the burial of a loved one.  Our Guest House employs cooks, a cleaning crew, and a person who oversees the functioning of the dining room.  We are blessed with committed helpers in the infirmary who help us care for the older brothers.  Finally, the farmers who rent part of our property are supervised by a man the community has known for many years.  The annual Christmas party is, in some cases, the only opportunity the monks have to meet spouses and children of employees.  Food is “pot-luck” style with goodies provided by various attendants at the party.  The gathering is also a time for employees to hear from Fr. Mark, our abbot, how much the monks appreciate their support for our contemplative witness to the world.