Sister Neuhofer, who joined the community in 1956, has never cloistered herself. She has been a classroom teacher and music teacher at Florida Catholic schools. She's held several administrative positions at neighboring Saint Leo College. Her current job is business manager and treasurer of the monastery, qualifications that helped win her the prioress job. Staying financially afloat is no easy matter in a monastery where the median age of the nuns is 62.
Medical bills consume an ever-larger chunk of their money.
Financial help comes in the form of paychecks from the sisters who work outside the monastery. The checks go into the communal coffers. The sisters also own a nearby orange grove, profitable only in years when prices for the fruit are high. Their day care center brings in extra income, as do the two dormitories the nuns lease to students at the college. Of course, donations are always appreciated.