Works

In considering the theme of “works,” one may turn to Chapter 32 of the Rule of St. Benedict, which speaks of the care monks must take of the tools and goods of the monastery. One of the most substantial “goods” and a most fundamental work, is the monastery itself, which requires ongoing upkeep. While this work may not appear to be edifying, it is essential to the very “edifice” that is the monastery. And so, over the past two years, in part shielded from view due to the pandemic, in part hidden within the enclosure of the monastery, an extensive renovation has been taking place, prompted in large part by a most mundane reality: plumbing. Br. Joseph has been following much of the work, documenting its course with photos. He notes that the monastery, built according to Pietro Belluschi’s design in the late 1950’s, is “constructed like a dorm, but where each room has a sink, with some having bathrooms. This means a multitude of pipes.” And when said pipes encounter decades of our local water, containing elements that leach out the zinc from copper-alloy piping, creating pinholes and corrosion, you have a very big problem. The metal pipes would need to be replaced with longer lasting and more workable materials, like PEX piping and PVC drain pipes. But add to this that the pipes are buried within walls, under floors, and overhanging ceilings, the entire monastery is affected, as well as the residents therein.

The summer of 2020 saw a kind of “Phase One” effort to take care of this monastic infrastructure problem before it was too late. The summer of 2021 will see a “Phase Two.” This project was initiated immediately upon the completion of the major plumbing work on the contemporaneously constructed Stillman Dining Hall, work more readily undertaken with the School away due to the pandemic. Both phases for the monastery include substantial disruption to its quietude, displacing monks from their rooms, requiring drilling, sawing, hammering, and so forth. “You would not believe the dust,” Br. Joseph comments, which he says formed a thick coating on much of the furniture last summer. The extensive and ongoing work project is being undertaken by the maintenance staff, as well as with outside contractors and engineers. Their work was complicated greatly by the bane of much 1950’s construction: asbestos abatement. This added complexity and cost to the already massive undertaking. The monastery was solidly constructed, with hefty plastering – but to access it then became a laborious process taking a toll on the overall physical structure. And the replacement of the piping omnipresent in the buildings meant the tearing out of walls, the pulling down of ceilings, and ripping up of floors. And while there are a few rooms with their own bathrooms, there are several shared bathrooms, with these larger tiled rooms requiring careful and extensive wall deconstruction to get to the underlying pipes. Every sink also needed updated, grounded electric plugs, complicating an extensive electrical project multiplied by the number of rooms in the monastery.

The domino effect in which one physical repair required several additional repairs turned a plumbing issue into a kind of near ‘total makeover.” The two phases basically divide the monastery into its northern and southern halves. The summer of 2020 saw the southern portion of the monastery affected, displacing the half of the community living in those rooms, as well as necessitating complete renovation of the important common areas of the calefactory and the refectory. In an important step in the first phase, due to leaking water and the risk of a major feed pipe having a rupture, the ceiling in the calefactory was ripped out and replaced with a new drop ceiling. The tile floors also needed to be pulled up and were replaced with a synthetic wood. The lighting also had to be replaced, which allowed for an upgrade. Br. Joseph notes that, “It is much brighter now, and we were even able to install some accent lighting for the artwork.” Furniture was moved from rooms into corridors, including from the calefactory and refectory, with the monks moving their meals into the Linenfold Room. “A blessing during the summer,” Br. Joseph laughs, “There is air-conditioning in there!” Despite such silver linings, the upheaval has been substantial, with the summer of 2021 set to impact the rooms and common areas in the northern half. And even those monks who were able to remain in their rooms for Phase One (and will not be so lucky this summer), still had to cope with bookshelves enshrouded in plastic, or patches of wall or ceiling removed to reach corroded plumbing.

Through this work, the monastery has also been looking to the future, with plans for a monastic guesthouse under development. While these still remain indefinite, prudent planning meant that current repairs ought anticipate future needs, so as to not have to be entirely redone in several years. Other envisioned long-term renovations, such as accessible rooms for those with disabilities, as well as the possible addition of a monastic infirmary, also complicated renovation decisions, requiring forethought for the capacities of the physical plant to handle future needs. If God may close a door but open a window, just imagine the possibilities when he must demolish walls, ceilings, and floors!

Work on a tilled bathroom wall


The calefactory, cleared out for work


Ceiling and floor dismantled in the refectory


Corroded pipes in the ceiling of one of the monastic cells


Bookshelves under wraps


Corrosion and crumbling insulation


Behind the walls


Accessing pipes from the monastery corridors