I am a Trappist monk living in a monastery in Georgia. I have been a monk for five and one half years and am in temporary profession, which basically means I have three more years before deciding whether to live this life for the rest of my life or not. I've heard it said that monks and nuns enter monasteries and convents to "escape" the world. I'm sure there is some truth to that statement, but those people usually don't last. We have the world slap us in the face daily. We support ourselves through manual labor. We sell bread, fruit cakes and fudge, as well as having a gift shop. Our average age is 68 years. More and more convents and monasteries are closing because the monks and nuns are becoming too old to support themselves or their respective houses. We pay bill like everyone else, and yep we pay taxes too. We pay for the medical necessities of our members, because we cannot be insured. One brother's pharmacy bill alone is $324,000.00 a year. That's only one brother.
As for me, I'm not sure what the future holds, I try to take things one day at a time. If I went into anything more about me, it would only be boring and tedious. Take care and God bless, br. Jude