Fr. Placid comments on crafts practiced within the monastic community: “The Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter Fifty-Seven, is on the monastery’s artisans. The Rule describes them as carpenters, millers, and unspecified craftsmen in the workshops. St. Benedict say that they are to conduct their craft humbly.
Today, we can count among the various crafts practiced within monasteries today: iconography, candle-making, painting, card-making, producing religious articles, foodstuffs, soaps, and more such items, often sold in the monastery’s gift shop.
However, other arts can be included under the heading of crafts, like writing, editing, and publishing. In addition, while writing ‘in-house’ may not get much press, it is also important. Crafting reports, minutes of community meetings, and other papers that need to be posted or done to keep the community thriving and its history alive are essential. These types of jobs take time, diligence, and sometimes a bit of frustration to get them all done in a timely manner.
Let us give thanks to the unsung artisans in our midst!
Blessings,
Your brothers of New Clairvaux
