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The Kitchen Reborn
A common point of gathering for the monastic and extended community of students and friends is the Stillman Dining Hall. Some fiteen years ago, the serving area was extensively renovated, the dining tables and chairs rejuvenated, and enlarged old photos reflecting the history of the monastery and school carefully selected and placed by Fr. Damian Kearney. This summer, the kitchen required a deep makeover. Outwardly, one noticed the installation of a temporary trailer, together with two mobile freezer buildings, placed on the lawn next to the hockey rink. A temporary ramp was constructed to facilitate the transportation of food from place to place. Within, the kitchen was essentially entirely gutted, with reconstruction undertaken from top to bottom. Prompting this massive project was the corrosion of the pipes handling the kitchen’s water needs.
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The kitchen, entirely gutted for renovations over the summer
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Some of the hard manual labor required to complete the job
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When the dining hall was originally constructed circa 1960, it was done on slabs with no basement under the kitchen, which required pipes to be placed directly into the dirt under the floor. These cast iron pipes had a limited lifespan, and were not readily able to be accessed for maintenance, rusting beyond repair and badly needed to be replaced. When this was undertaken fifteen years ago, the project expanded to address other issues, including a major renovation and expansion of the serving area. The physical material for the new pipes was then restricted by the state of Rhode Island, so that PVC piping could not be used, one issue being the damage that could be done to them from scalding hot water. The new cast iron, even though of a high quality, did not last long, and steps taken in the meanwhile to address the issue were not sufficient. Various technological and dietary modifications also came into play: water savers now in use make it harder to flush the pipes. Further, the proliferation of juice options also added acids to the waste water, which would sit in the pipes, becoming particularly problematic on the drink lines. Rhode Island also modified some of its requirements, and PVC was now acceptable.
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Br. Joseph noted that there are actually two types of piping, the deep blue heavy PVC pipe (see photos) can withstand the hot water. There are also injectors that come into play with extremely heated water, such as when skillets are in use for pasta or other boiled foods, to add cooler water to the mix. The main pipe lines were also consolidated into the center of the floor beneath the kitchen, where there was one tunnel available in the original construction, now put to use to avoid placing the piping directly into the ground, rendering it more protected and accessible.
The monastery took advantage of the opportunity to renovate to make some additional improvements, Brother joseph adds. Larger burners were moved to the back of the kitchen, as they were not used as much for the serving in the front. Convection ovens took their spot, making the preparation and serving process easier for the cooks. Once the kitchen returns, post pandemic, to more normal serving processes, diners will notice a new panini station available in the serving area. Also, glass panels were added to the serving area to give a more open feel. Additionally, heavy duty screen doors were added to the back of the kitchen for ventilation, and glass added to the doors, enhancing visibility and safety in use. “This replacement of the pipes was really a huge project, it was good to see what else we could do in there without adding great expense to the whole project.”
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The central tunnel where mainlines were placed to increase life and accessibility of pipes (images: Br. Joseph Byron)
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Meeting Local Food Needs
The COVID-19 pandemic has created the difficult juxtaposition of greatly increased need for various services, while simultaneously making it much more difficult for agencies and their volunteers to help to provide those services. We see the need for personal contact – in elderly visitation, in tutoring young students, in delivering services to people’s homes. And in the face of the greater challenges with health, with education, with economic hardship, vulnerable populations encounter a reduction of assistance and personal contact. Locally, this has happened with such a basic need as obtaining adequate food. Prior to the restrictions imposed in the health crisis, food insecurity in Rhode Island, as across the nation, was a clear and present problem. Our "Works" column this month looks at the crisis and the local responses of agencies with whom the Abbey community remains connected.
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Food bags loaded at St. Bernabas Parish
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Laboring for the Kingdom
With extraordinary levels of planning, for classes, activities, sports, and liturgies, remote or in-person, the academic year begins for the “Class of Covid.” Attention has been paid every detail: when and how students arrive, who else may be present on campus, how many will dine or study in the same room at the same time. For faculty and staff involved in these preparations, the hard work to make this year possible has been ongoing throughout the summer. It may be helpful, then, to recall the “labora” at the heart of the monastic vocation, and to turn these efforts to a genuine spiritual good. Fr. Paschal Scotti, in his homily on Labor Day, reflected on the medieval monk, particularly the Cistercian, as truly embodying what later came to be called the “Protestant Work Ethic.” “Christians ennoble work and make work a means of transformation, of prayer, of holiness. Let us use our daily labors as sacraments of the present moment. The sacraments are channels of grace, we all know this from our catechism. But we can gain grace lots of ways, and in the things we do every day, if offered to God, if given to God, if seen as acts of worship and prayer – those are also a means of grace. So on this day of labor, we honor American labor, the American worker, let us remember work is a means of holiness, a way to God.” This Labor Day remark serves well as a reminder to the school community that now undertakes a school opening so unlike any in its history, with virtually every aspect of school life calling for reframing and careful consideration. Let us hope God blesses these efforts, so that our labor indeed provides opportunity to “grow in knowledge and grace.” You can read Fr. Paschal’s homily, and other daily homilies here.
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