Casket Crafting Monks No Longer Under Fire in Louisiana

The monks handcraft caskets similar to the one above. Credit: Standard-Examiner

2005’s Hurricane Katrina is, sadly, old news for our media’s short attention span. And for that reason, it’s crucial that we continue to illuminate the storm’s diverse and detrimental repercussions today. The aftermath of Katrina is of Russian-nesting doll proportions; it seems that a single, targeted issue can connect to an endless array of problems. Consider the Benedictine monks of southern Louisiana, for example. Before Katrina, the monks’ income came primarily from selling timber. But the storm took a merciless toll on small businesses, so they looked towards another source of income: selling their handcrafted caskets to the general public. The move was a success – until the state Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors banned them from their new, un-licensed endeavor. In that moment, says a recent LA Times article, “the normally peaceful order took the fight to court.”

“The move was a success – until the state Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors banned them from their new, un-licensed endeavor.”

The monks’ church, St. Joseph Benedictine Abbey. Credit: catholicnewsagency.com

The brothers had been constructing their own caskets for ages, but realized it was time “to market the simple cypress boxes” out of necessity. Not to mention, they could offer the caskets at a price much lower than any funeral home would charge. At $1,500 or $2,000 a casket, the monks’ business was experiencing success in the community. “The clients include[d] street vendors, flower sellers, hair braiders, winemakers and many others who have run up against state licensing laws or city regulations,” states the LA Times.

“Not to mention, they could offer the caskets at a price much lower than any funeral home would charge.”

The fight between the monks and the state endured for years, but finally ended this week with a Supreme Court ruling in their favor. In what is being hailed as a “victory for small entrepreneurs,” the monks will be permitted, finally, to sell their caskets lawfully. To learn more about the case, read the LA times article here.

Related SevenPonds Articles:

• Check out our Trappist monk made caskets. 
• NPR Announces New Series: “Conversations On The Afterlife.
• 


Dead Man Walking?