Making Archbishop's coat of arms proud tradition for company

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EJ Kraus, a cabinet maker at Classic Woodworking Inc., put together Archbishop Robert J. Carlson's coat of arms

At Classic Woodworking Inc. in South St. Louis, project manager Bill Kennebeck has seen it all.

For more than 30 years, the business has produced thousands of woodworking projects in residential and commercial places — from the Federal Reserve Building to the offices of St. Louis Rams executives and high-end private homes.

But nothing brings a smile to Kennebeck’s face more than doing a project for the Catholic Church.

This week, Classic Woodworking completed work on Archbishop Robert J. Carlson’s coat of arms. The oak plaque with hand-painted brass pieces was hung in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis for the archbishop’s installation June 10. A smaller version of his coat of arms also will be hung in the Old Cathedral Downtown.

Kennebeck, a member of St. James the Greater Parish in South St. Louis, noted that Classic Woodworking has made a coat of arms for Archbishop Raymond L. Burke and Bishop Edward K. Braxton when they both served in St. Louis. Archbishop Burke is currently the prefect for the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura in Rome. Bishop Braxton now leads the Diocese of Belleville, Ill.