Theirs is an unconventional business model with an improbable workforce and a “boss” of the highest order.  Blend these distinctions with a deep-rooted work ethic and the result is a product that many regard as, quite literally, a blessing. 

Trappist Caskets is the ten-year-old enterprise of the Trappist Monastery of New Melleray Abbey in eastern Iowa.   At this monk-owned and operated company, handcrafted caskets, made of solid wood harvested from the abbey’s 1,200-acre sustainable forest, are prayerfully constructed and shipped to every state in the U.S. 

The monks’ approach to doing business is founded on their belief that crafting caskets is a corporal work of mercy.  Surrounded by the peaceful environment of the monastery, monks, along with hired lay workers, craft caskets and cremation urns as an expression of their life of prayer and their belief that death is the final step along the path to God. 

Each year, demand has grown as more people learn of these simple, authentic caskets. “With 10 years of consistent growth, we now have a wholesale program in place, enabling cemeteries and funeral homes throughout the country to offer Trappist Caskets to the families they serve.” comments Sam Mulgrew, manager of Trappist Caskets. 

Funeral service providers who offer the Trappist Caskets line find that families are drawn to the caskets on several levels.  First is the outward difference.  The quality, as well as the simple, unique design, distinguishes them from assembly-line products.  “I’ll put their workmanship up against anyone’s,” states Dan Ciha of Gay & Ciha Funeral & Cremation Services in Iowa City, Iowa, who admits that he is passionate about the product.  “The craftsmanship is so exceptional that we have actually had several clients purchase them pre-need and use them as coffee tables.”

Everything is genuine in these solid-wood caskets, finished with beeswax and upholstered by hand.  “Each requires 18-19 hours of work and reflects the monks’ regard for authentic craftsmanship and the time-honored way of doing things,” notes Mulgrew.  John McHugh, director of the Francis J. Collins Funeral Home in Silver Spring, Maryland, notes that, “Others don’t make caskets to look like this.”

Beyond the quality, families are intrigued and comforted by the sacramental component at the heart of each casket.  Detached from the hectic world, these men of God impart the sanctity of a life of prayer into their manual labor.  The result is a casket of the purest quality. Each casket and urn is blessed and each person buried in a Trappist Casket is remembered in a memorial mass offered by the monks. As a tangible symbol, a keepsake cross recessed in the casket or urn is given to the family. In crafting these sacred vessels the monks hope to bring a sense of peace to the families they serve.  “The monks are proud of what they are doing and honored to be sharing in a family’s grief,” observes Ciha. 

Although the “green” movement seems a contemporary concept, the New Melleray Abbey has practiced responsible stewardship for 160 years.  Monks craft each casket from lumber harvested from their award-winning forest which is painstakingly managed to be a diverse and sustainable eco-system.  For each tree used, a replacement is planted in its stead, as a living memorial to the deceased.

Funeral service providers recognize the benefits of making Trappist Caskets as an option for the families they serve.  While the audience for Trappist Caskets originally consisted of priests and other religious, now the demand is greater, beyond the boundaries of religious affiliations.  “I have seen a growing awareness of Trappist Caskets from the families I serve,” comments McHugh. Although he began displaying them in his selection room at the beginning of the year, he’s pleased by the somewhat unexpected sales volume and attributes the success to three features.  “I believe people are drawn by the reasonable price, simple design and the meaningful way in which the products are made.”

Dan DeVries, vice president of Halligan, McCabe, DeVries Funeral Home in Davenport, Iowa, finds that not only the product but also the service set Trappist Caskets apart.  “One Christmas I needed a quick delivery and Sam (Mulgrew) personally met me at the warehouse to make certain I could get exactly what I needed,” recalls DeVries.  Ciha agrees.  “Support is absolutely incredible, beyond what is expected.”

“We  provide the funeral industry with a unique product, one which their competitors likely don’t have,” notes Mulgrew. There is also a residual benefit. “Funeral directors who carry our line find that families have an immediate trust in them because of the connection to the monks.”

Information about Trappist Caskets is available at 888 433-6934 or view at www.trappistcaskets.com.  All models are kept in stock, so orders are shipped immediately, usually arriving in one to two business days.