ABBEY BANNER - St. John's Abbey

Abbot John distributes communion to the residents.
piano, and a bird cage for two of
the center’s favorite residents,
parakeets Freddy and Frieda. A
TV and two recliners are nearby.
■ The residents’ dining room was
enlarged, new flooring, kitchen
cupboards and appliances
installed, tables refinished and
new chairs purchased.
■ The renovated chapel includes the
spatial rearrangement of the room,
new flooring, refinished chairs
and a new altar. The granite
The dining room of the center
A resident’s tidy room
altar—designed
by Marcel Breuer,
the architect of the
abbey church,
for a chapel origi-
nally adjacent to
the abbot’s
office—was
rescued from a
disposal area,
cleaned and polished. It replaces
the decoratively carved wooden
altar from the chapel of the former
campus infirmary, now a student
residence.
The recreation area of the center
FEATURE
■ Corridors and other open areas
were recarpeted. New lighting
considerably brightens the area.
The staff of Saint Raphael’s Hall
numbers two registered nurses (RNs),
seven licensed practical nurses
(LPNs), seven certified nursing assistants
(CNAs), seven provisional staff
members and sixteen student workers
who individually average eight hours
per week of assistance. Carol Loch,
RN, is the director of the facility.
The current twenty-four residents,
the nursing staff, visitors and the
monastic community are very pleased
with the extensive renovation of this
essential facility. The cost of the renovation
is close to a million dollars. +
Photos by Daniel Durken, OSB
Abbey Banner Spring 2009 page 15