Monastery Economics
KeskusteluMonks, Monasteries and Monasticism
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1varielle
Monasteries around the world have been faced with the hard fact that even though cloistered there are bills that still have to get paid. As a result many have come up with interesting ways to support themselves. I thought this might be a good place to explore monkish creativity and business savvy. The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming are roasting coffee. Looks yummy. http://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com/monks.html
2John5918
Just found this dormant thread by chance.
I recall doing a private retreat in a Benedictine sisters' monastery in Oklahoma, USA, more than 25 years ago. At the end of the week I asked the sister in charge how much I should pay for my accommodation and she replied, "Whatever you can afford!" I asked her to give me a clue. She laughed and told me that they used to charge $ 20 per day, and just about everybody paid that, but since they started charging "whatever you can afford", a handful of poorer people paid less than $ 20, but the vast majority paid far more than that and the monastery began covering its costs far better than it ever did before. We settled for $ 20 - at that time I was on a Church volunteer stipend so I couldn't afford too much.
I recall doing a private retreat in a Benedictine sisters' monastery in Oklahoma, USA, more than 25 years ago. At the end of the week I asked the sister in charge how much I should pay for my accommodation and she replied, "Whatever you can afford!" I asked her to give me a clue. She laughed and told me that they used to charge $ 20 per day, and just about everybody paid that, but since they started charging "whatever you can afford", a handful of poorer people paid less than $ 20, but the vast majority paid far more than that and the monastery began covering its costs far better than it ever did before. We settled for $ 20 - at that time I was on a Church volunteer stipend so I couldn't afford too much.
