February 17, 2015
The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America has published a new report on Orthodox Monastic Communities in the United States (
here). The report contains a lot of great information (“great” for nerds like me, anyway), including a whole section entitled, “‘Monastic Economy:’ Ownership of Property and Sources of Income in US Orthodox Monasteries.”
According to the report,
In summary, the three most common sources of income in US Orthodox monasteries are:
Occasional private donations including bequests and offerings for performed sacraments (87% of all monastic communities mentioned this source of income);
Sale of religious items (except candles) that are not produced by monastery (52% of all monastic communities mentioned this source of income);
Production and sales of candles (24% of all monastic communities mentioned this source of income).
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