363/365 Clyde

I get the quarterly update magazine from the monastery, kind of akin to an alumni newsletter. It arrived on Saturday and I flipped through it. They are rehabbing, too, although with more diligence (and money). One of the things they're doing is putting in a geothermal heating and cooling system.

They also have windmills on their property. It's called the Conception project, after the men's monastery, but it was their idea. I guess the Clyde project isn't as evocative.

They recycle, I mean, they are a center for recycling and sorting for the community around them. They rent their land prudently for cows to graze but not for development (although who would be interested in development out their way, I'm not sure).

To sum up, for a group of cloistered nuns, they are so forward-thinking and aware of their world. They put their liturgy of the hours on podcast. Like, more than I could figure out if I focused. They make gluten-free altar bread. And soap.

There's been a lot written about monasteries and how they saved Europe or civilization, how they were the first model of the corporation. And there's a lot written about the Rule and how modern folks can use it to run their lives in a better way. And I've got to say, 4 years into this? I think it's probably all true.

It makes me wish I lived closer, to be a part of it--many nearby lay members of their community are more actively involved than I could be so far away. But my place is here, of course, for all the good reasons I write about here and on my south city and sycamore blogs. How benedictine of me.