Iowa Trappists - Child Caskets

[Luigi]

On December 18 the monks of New Melleray received a letter and a check informing us of a $10,000.00 donation made to the Trappist Caskets "Child Casket Fund".  The very generous donation was not made by a family of great wealth, but one of our local neighbors.   For many years it has been the practice of the monks to waive the charge for a casket provided a family who has lost a child.  Over time, word has spread that a child's casket can be obtained from the monks free of charge so that we are presently donating between three and five caskets every week to grieving families all over the country.  While such a practice might not seem to make sense from a strictly business perspective, we have found that it leads people to see Trappist Caskets as providing a corporeal work of mercy and not just a money making venture.  We have discovered another paradox.  Often a family is so surprised and touched by the news that there will be no charge for their child's casket that they later choose to make a donation to the Child Casket Fund so that some OTHER family can experience the consolation of such a gift.  It is a mystery of the human heart that a gift received from a stranger can inspire the recipient to make a gift to another stranger.  The family who made the donation recently established a fund to offer financial assistance to local entities which reflect the values of self-reliance, ambition, humility and honesty.  Our thanks to this family for encouraging the monks in our ambition to offer solace to families who experience the unique suffering of the loss of a child.  

Author: New Melleray Abbey

[Lil Red]

This is wonderful. In my home state of Montana, there is an organization called the Ramsey Keller Memorial. They help with costs associated with burying a child or infant. They are doing such good work.