The Trappist Monastery of Latrun

Trappists are a Roman Catholic Religious Order who follows the Rule of St. Benedict (480-547 AD). Although this order has its origin in France in the 12th century, it began as a reform movement with more strict observations from 1664. Today, there are 89 monasteries for monks with 3,050 monks and 56 monasteries for nuns with 1,793 nuns in the world for Trappists. They are sometimes called the 'white monks', due to their dress code. In Israel they came during 1890 from France, got expelled at the period of WWI and finally returned in 1926. Besides prayer and Bible study the monks earn their livelihood by the sweat of their brow. They consider manual labour and intellectual labour with equal dignity. As a result they till the soil, raise grains, garden vegetables, tend vineyards, olive grooves and fruit orchards. They also give importance to arts and crafts with experts as tinsmiths, stone masons, winemakers and olive oil pressers among them. There is also a sales-counter which sells the famous wine and olive oil products of the monastery. The Trappists monks keep a strict vow of silence, except for those who sell wine and olive oil to visitors. I am just quoting their daily routine as described in their brochure.

A Monk's Day

3.00 am: Rise

3.15: Group Prayer

4.00: Personal prayer and reading

5.00: Group prayer and Eucharist (Holy Mass)

7.00 to 10.00: Work

11.40: Group Prayer

12.00: Lunch/Rest/Reading or Personal prayer

2.15 pm: Group prayer/Work or Reading/Personal prayer

5.00: Group prayer/Meditation

5.45: Supper/Reading/Personal prayer

7.10: Abbot's Conference

7.25: Compline (Group night prayer)

8.00: Retire