WORK

Work is a vital dimension of our life together and each of our communities is self-supporting : New Skete Shepherds (dog breeding and training program), New Skete Farms (smoked meats and cheeses, all-natural dog biscuits), and Liturgy and Art (liturgical books, music books and CD's, icon prints and greeting cards), are businesses operated by the monks, while the nuns run New Skete Kitchens (gourmet cheesecakes and fruitcakes), as well as several cottage industries (icon painting, artwork, and dogbeds). The Companions run a guesthouse for married retreatants.

In our work, we have tried to utilize the creative talents of our members in a way that not only supports us financially, but which witnesses to the spiritual values that we live by. In this way, our work becomes a means of monastic witness. For example, since we live on land that is steep and rocky, it is totally unsuitable for farming. This reality led us to begin breeding German Shepherd Dogs early on, and boarding and training dogs of all breeds. Over the years, New Skete has become world renown for its work with dogs, and we have produced a number of highly respected books which include, How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend, The Art of Raising a Puppy, and I & Dog as well as a 3 tape video series Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete. Puppies coming out of our New Skete Shepherds breeding program continue to be highly sought after.

In addition to our work with dogs, we have also developed several other businesses to help support ourselves. New Skete Farms markets gourmet food products locally and by mail order, and Liturgy and Art offers a wide variety of liturgical music and translations produced at New Skete. This work, published over a thirty year period, has been an important resource for church renewal, and the iconography, artwork, jewelry, and liturgical vestments coming out of the community have a solid reputation for beauty and excellence. In 1999, we also published a book on the spiritual life called, In the Spirit of Happiness (Little, Brown & Co) which has been translated into several languages. Striving for quality in all that we do is a hallmark of our life and a vital means of spiritual growth.

Please visit our Store for a presentation of products that can be ordered on-line.