North Dakota abbey abandons ranching legacy
August 16, 2011
Suffering a dearth of vocations, Assumption Abbey in North Dakota is abandoning its legacy of beef ranching.
“It’s so good to have the animals here, to see cows when you look out the window or go for a walk,” reflects Brother Placid, who has worked at the 1,900-acre ranch for over 50 years. “I’ll miss it a lot.”
The monastery offers “a quiet life, but hardly a hair-shirt existence,” The New York Times reports. “Some monks watch the news or baseball in the evening. On Saturday nights they get popcorn, beer and a rented movie.”
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Further information:
- With No More Cowboys Taking Vows, Monastery Quits the Cattle Business (New York Times)
- Assumption Abbey (Richardton, ND)
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