Building Coffins Boosts Monks' Coffers
When Farming Failed, a Monastery Turned to Casket-Making
Listen: Listen to the monks chant during Compline service.
Allison Aubrey, NPR
Brother Felix Leja at work on a casket. The New Melleray Abbey business is on target to grow 125 percent this year.
Weekend Edition Saturday, October 25, 2003 · Not too many businesses are expanding by triple digits these days. But deep in rural Iowa, the Trappist Monks have a business that's growing like gangbusters.
The New Melleray Abbey near Dubuque launched a casket-making business five years ago after their farming operation went under. Now, in between their seven-daily prayer vigils, the monks can be found in the wood-shop sanding and sawing. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.
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