SAINT BENEDICT APPEAL

The following is the 2024 Saint Benedict Appeal Letter from Abbot Gregory Boquet, O.S.B.

Dear Friends,

The first question you are asked when you knock at the door to the monastery is, “Amice, ad quid venisti?” (Friend, why did you come?) You will not only answer this question with your lips, but also with your lifestyle. The men who knock on our door to enter and discern a monastic calling are welcomed into our beautiful monastery and provided with a place to call home.

For most of the outside world, July 11th is an ordinary day. In our home, the postulants, novices, and monks of Saint Joseph Abbey mark this day by celebrating the Solemnity of Saint Benedict, our patron. We pause to remember the gift of his Rule that directs us in the spiritual and material well-being of our monastery. To honor that Rule, we are intentional in taking inventory of both our spiritual and material needs.

As we attend to our daily lives of prayer and work in the halls of our beloved monastery, we have discovered a serious and immediate need. Through this Saint Benedict Appeal, I humbly ask for your financial support in helping us solve a serious air quality issue. Let me explain.

The Benedictine monks built the monastery in 1908 to the standards of the time, so the building did not originally include air conditioning. Through the years after air conditioning was added, the building has suffered from a lack of proper insulation in the attic space and poorly sealed interior windows. Louisiana experienced record setting heat and humidity last year, and we began to see a dramatic increase in moisture intrusion, most specifically on the third floor where some of our monks live and where our monastic library and archives are located. The excessive moisture intrusion is causing areas of mold and mildew, which we are continually cleaning. We have also installed free-standing dehumidifiers throughout the entire building as a temporary solution. We have been advised to install a whole-building dehumidification system, but it will come at a considerable expense.

On behalf of the monks of Saint Joseph Abbey, I want to express my deep gratitude for your support. Your generous gift will help us address the immediate humidity issue and insulation needs and also help preserve of our monastery for the future generations who will knock at the door and follow in our footsteps of prayer, work, and study.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Abbot Gregory Boquet, O.S.B.

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Make a check payable to the Saint Joseph Abbey and mail to:

Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College
75376 River Road
St. Benedict, LA 70457
Attn: Saint Benedict Appeal

Questions? Contact Debb De Noux at 985-867-2264 or ddenoux@sjasc.edu.