But that's up to the abbot and one's superiors to point that out. They decided, for instance, that it was too expensive to maintain their herds of farm animals, so they phased out that practice in the 1970s. And a few years ago the monks abandoned the laborious process of sorting orders and mailing labels by hand in a hayloft-turned business center. Now they preside over a computerized operation linked directly to credit-card agencies and banks. It was also last year that the abbey unveiled a web site that attracted roughly 4,000 orders.
Many orders are now entirely paperless.
Open Mind Brother Raphael, a veteran of the World War II Naval air corps and a onetime construction contractor, is as pleased by the efficient new systems as any entrepreneur would be. Though the monks aren't apt to leave for stock options elsewhere, Brother Raphael contends with his own version of the labor shortage. New recruits are typically over age 40. During peak times before the Christmas holidays, the abbey has to rely on staffing help from lay volunteers. Despite the abbey's eager acceptance of new technologies, its members still struggle to define the line that separates what befits a monastic life and what serves a growing business.