marissa kress
Saint Meinrad Archabbey
Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology is a Benedictine Seminary school and Monastery. I worked 2 years and 8 months in high school as a dining room attendant and dishwasher in the kitchen and I don't consider myself religious, but working here has been one of the best places I have ever worked. All of the co-workers have been so kind and caring to each other. I think that stems from the most known Benedictine Rule, hospitality.
​Now you may ask, what is an Archabbey? Is it similar to a regular Abbey? They earned the name Archabbey for their role in the development of the Swiss-American Congregation of Benedictine monasteries in the US and their community outreach. There are only 11 Archabbeys in the world and 2 reside in the US; little ol' St. Meinrad, Indiana, and in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
​That summer (2018), I worked in Guest Services at the Guest House and Retreat Center at the front desk. I checked in guests, answered any questions visitors had for me, and answered the switchboard. With working here before and living nearby, I already knew the basics of the campus...but for this position, I needed to know more of the history of the Abbey. I did a lot of research from the history and facts about the buildings to how men become priests, to differences between brothers and fathers, and monks and nuns.
As my first couple of weeks went by, our campus map did not have the information it needed to direct visitors and guests to the Monte Cassino Shrine that was not directly on the Hill. My solution was to illustrate a map of the town to show how to get to the Shrine. But not just Monte Cassino, but also the St. Josephs Shrine close by as well.
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I started by taking a screenshot of Google Maps and the town of St. Meinrad. I opened Adobe Illustrator and placed the screenshot of the town in the document, lowered the opacity, and locked the layer. I created a new layer so I could start my line tracing of the roads. I thickened and colored the state highway yellow so visitors and guests can see that it's a different kind of road. I also made road icons, such as interstate and state highways icons.
I kinda got in the grove of illustrating maps that I made a map for those who would ask about how to get to Interstate 64 from the Abbey. Not only could these maps be used for that, but to show guests and visitors how to get to the nearest local CVS or how to get to Jasper for something to eat.
I went even further on this map making to local fast food, sit down, gas stations, and grocery stores all on one paper. Guests ask often where the nearest place to eat is so I knew this would come in handy! Not only food but just in case I added grocery stores and gas stations. To tell these options apart, I color coated them with simple colored bullet points. Finally, a yellow star tells where St. Meinrad is. After creating this map, I have given it out many times to help visitors and guest....and maybe shouting out that hey I made this =P
After about a month of being in Guest Services, I noticed some may not have been here before and they may not be rooming in the Guest House (where you check-in). These buildings can get confusing and to find your room in a new and confusing place can be overwhelming. I asked a security guard how I should explain to guests how to get to their rooms for each Hall and he pulled out the building layouts (kind of like blueprints). This changed everything! For about a week or so I would print out the 1st-floor layout and grab a red pen and show guests how to get to their rooms.
Some nights I would have some free time and one week I had a little more than usual and made the decision to illustrate the buildings layouts so guests could find their rooms. After I leave the front desk, guests are on their own to find their rooms, unless they call security, and if we set out these maps for the guests, security shouldn't have to worry about getting a call from a lost guest.