Many people imagine that entering a monastery means stepping back through the centuries. Others believe that behind the bars of cloistered life there are men and women absorbed in unending prayer. In reality, behind the stone walls and the silence that surrounds certain cloisters, what you find is not a life frozen outside of time, but a radically different way of living the present.
So the question that often arises is inevitable: how do monks and nuns really live? And above all, how do they sustain themselves financially? Are they “paid by the Vatican”?
An ancient rule that still guides
Most Catholic monasteries follow the Rule of St. Benedict, written in the 6th century. In short, Benedict proposed a life of prayer, work, and community: Ora et labora – pray and work. This is not a decorative motto, but an entire way of organizing life.
The day is structured by the Liturgy of the Hours (psalms chanted in choir several times a day) and by manual or intellectual work. This balance keeps the community from living in idleness, but also from becoming a business: work exists to support life, not to generate profit.
Where does the money come from?
Many think monasteries survive only on donations, or even that they receive funds directly from the Vatican. In reality, while benefactors certainly exist, it must be clear that the Vatican does not finance monasteries, dioceses, or parishes around the world.
Historically, monasteries have relied on self-sufficiency: cultivating land, raising animals, producing wine, oil, honey, or beer. Even today, some monasteries are famous for such products. The Trappist abbey of Westvleteren in Belgium is known for one of the most appreciated beers in the world; the Carthusians created the Chartreuse liqueur; many Benedictines sell jams, herbal teas, or natural cosmetics. Other monasteries sustain themselves through hospitality and guesthouses: they welcome people in search of silence and retreat, asking a contribution for the stay. Some, such as the Camaldolese or the Cistercians, also organize spiritual retreats or weeks of volunteer work. More recently, communities have developed modern forms of work: publishing houses, craft workshops, or even online courses in spirituality or liturgical music.
A simple lifestyle
This does not mean monks live “like everyone else,” with salaries and expenses similar to an average household. Evangelical poverty is a cornerstone. This does not mean misery, but sobriety. Expenses are shared, personal possessions do not exist: each monk or nun contributes what they have and what they earn to the community. Food is simple, often linked to the rhythm of the seasons. In many monasteries, the ancient practice of abstinence from meat continues. Clothing is that of the community (the monastic habit), and life is not oriented toward consumption but toward durability: things are repaired, reused, recycled. A witness Monastic life is not about accumulating, but about being a sign. The very fact that, in a world built on productivity and profit, there exist communities that choose to live with the essential, becomes a cultural challenge. Monks and nuns do not live on “projects” or business plans, but on mutual trust and in Providence. History shows it clearly: monasteries have survived wars, famines, and revolutions, and yet they have always found ways to regenerate themselves.
Today, when someone steps into a cloister and asks: “How do you manage to live?”, the answer could be simple: through prayer, work, and sharing. And it is precisely this simplicity that continues to attract men and women of all ages, even in the 21st century.