A busy work schedule
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381745)
Rockingham, Australia
August 17, 2025 8:19am CST
In the photo, you can see the work schedule of one of the monks from New Norcia, West Australia’s monastic town. Among other things, it says that once a monk was trained in a profession/job, he stayed in that role for the rest of his life.
Dom Paulino Gutierrez was the miller but this only took up a few weeks a year so he was also the baker (50 years), the shoe-maker (47 years) and infirmarian (12 years). You can see that his days were long and broken up with prayer periods and religious duties.
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11 responses
@Juliaacv (56195)
• Canada
17 Aug
He had such long days.
I recall that my Dad also had long days.
And the length of them depended on the season.
When he was farming he was up, out of the house and in the field for sunrise, which was as early as 5:30 and he remained there, only coming home for the noon dinner, until sunset, which was 9pm generally. That season was long and hard, but he was a lone farmer and his sons were too young in those days to help much.
During the winter months, when he wasn't in the fields, he was up early and in the barn.
He had to feed and water the chickens in the upstairs part of the barn, and collect the eggs, then when he went downstairs, the cattle needed to be tended to. He would climb the ladder to the loft, throw down some bales of hay and straw, stack them, and feed the cattle.
That was the 'easy' time of the year for him, although the cattle were fed twice a day as I recall.
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@Juliaacv (56195)
• Canada
18 Aug
@JudyEv For a number of years my Dad farmed more land then he should have-given the times we were living in, there was less automation, and he was only 1 person. He would hire a man to work for him for a period. Sometimes it was not a man, but a student nearing the end of their high school career, and surprisingly enough, all of those people came back year after year as their own lives progressed to talk to my Dad about their first jobs, getting serious with a girlfriend, and so on. He managed to make lifelong friendships with those that worked for him.
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@JudyEv (381745)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Aug
@Juliaacv How nice is that? I had a brother who, despite very bad eyesight, worked on the farm with Dad so we rarely employed anyone from outside. That's really lovely that these people kept in touch with your Dad. He obviously touched quite a few lives.
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@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
17 Aug
That sounds like a long day, but essential for the times.
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@allknowing (153544)
• India
18 Aug
Atleast he had various jobs lined up to break the monotony.
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@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Aug
It wasn't just monks who had long days back then. Without the modern conveniences we enjoy today, everybody had to work long, hard hours just to get by.
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@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Aug
@JudyEv And just think of how much easier life will be for future generations because of the hard work our generation is putting in now.
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@JudyEv (381745)
• Rockingham, Australia
21 Aug
@moffittjc Some peers were telling me tonight that their grand/great grandchildren are blaming the baby boomers for taking up all the housing and spoiling things for them. Looeyville has been writing similar posts. I do think they really appreciate those who have gone before and done the hard yards.
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@wolfgirl569 (135583)
• Marion, Ohio
17 Aug
They do keep busy. I would not want to get up that early
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@JESSY3236 (22199)
• United States
19 Aug
I didn't know monks worked. That's a long day.
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@LindaOHio (222222)
• United States
18 Aug
That's not a schedule I would like to keep.
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@LindaOHio (222222)
• United States
19 Aug
@JudyEv I'd prefer to just be retired and do what I want (as I do now). lololol
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