THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

During the summer of 2021, many of you responded generously to our Saint Benedict Appeal request for funds to renovate the monastic infirmary. This month the final order of new chapel chairs arrived, and the infirmary renovation is now complete.

Br. Leo Franca, Saint Joseph Abbey’s infirmarian, is thrilled with the changes and upgrades.

“From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of Abbot Gregory and our monastic community, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed financially to make the renovation of our infirmary a reality,” he said.

Among the changes, flooring was replaced in all areas except the laundry room and shower room; lighting was upgraded throughout the infirmary; and all walls received a new coat of paint.

In the larger shower room, the heating wall unit was replaced, and new storage cabinets and a new sink and mirror were installed. In addition, a new walk-in whirlpool tub was added for monks with certain medical conditions.

Changes were also made to the kitchen and TV room, usually used by monks who are unable to eat in the refectory with the rest of the community. New chairs, including a new lift chair/recliner, a storage unit, refrigerator, microwave, kitchen cabinets and a kitchen sink were added.

“We were also able to double the counter space in the kitchen,” Br. Leo said.

The laundry room includes two new sets of washers/dryers and new cabinets, and the concrete floor has been repainted. In the dispensary, the new items include cabinets, a sink, counter top, shelving units, a small refrigerator for medications, a desk and a chair. Old wooden shelves in the infirmary storage room were also replaced with new metal shelving.

The most important changes to the infirmary were made in the bedrooms. Previously, the infirmary included four small bedrooms that had a very limited amount of space for a wheelchair, walker or home health or hospice equipment. Now, every area is easily accessible and spacious.

“We combined the smaller rooms to make two larger rooms, each with a walk-in shower with a built-in seat, a wheelchair accessible walk-in closet, new pieces of furniture for storage, a television, a privacy curtain, a lift chair, and a desk and chair,” Br. Leo said.

One of the new rooms has two beds available if more monks need to spend time in the infirmary or if the infirmarian needs to sleep in the same room to assist the sick monk during the night. The other room has one bed and plenty of space for all the monks to gather close to the bed of a sick monk.

“When a monk from our monastery is getting close to the end of his earthly life, it is a tradition for all the monks to come to the room of the sick monk in the infirmary and say the prayers for the dying, and later on the prayers after death,” Br. Leo explained. “However, before the infirmary renovation, half of the community had to stand in the hallway outside the room for the prayers because the rooms were too small.”

There are additional bedrooms just outside the infirmary that can be converted to sick rooms if needed. In addition, the room previously used by the infirmarian can house any overflow. Br. Leo said he can now monitor sick monks through technology means and does not have to stay in the infirmary himself.

Again, on behalf of the monks of Saint Joseph Abbey, thank you to all who donated and made the new infirmary a reality!