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PAGE 6—THE BULLETIN, August 4, 1962
Where Cows Are Contented . . . Hens A Bit Happier3
Conyers Monks Have Built Reputation
For Successful, Profitable Farming
(By J. Gregg Puster)
There’s a farm in the quiet
and peaceful rolling hills of
Gerogia where the cows are
more contented and the hens
a bit happier than usual, es
pecially in view of the fact
there’s not a single farmer, in
the strict sense of the word,
on the entire 1,900 acre tract.
To most Georgians, the name
of the place is vaguely famil
iar; to a Catholic, it brings to
mind a former retreat house, or
a beautiful edifice that might
rival an ancient cathedral, or
it might be recalled as
Gerogia’s only Cistercian mon
astery.
And the Monastery of the Holy
Ghost at Conyers is all that--
and more.
For the 85 Monks of the
community have established a
reputation for successful and
profitable farming that has
raised the eyebrow of many
an agricultural expert; so much
so that a manufacturer of farm
equipment has used the fields
for demonstration and experi
mental purposes. Many of the
farm management procedures
and adoption of equipment to
more efficient use by the erst-
wile “urban men’’ might well
be a paradox, since these men
have devoted themselves to a
simple life that is concerned
with the spiritual hunger of the
world.
Take as an example, the
Monastery’s chicken flock and
dairy herd. Without outside se
cular help, the Monks have de
veloped an egg project that
compares favorable with any
large commercial egg farm in
the Southeast.
The dairy herd of purebred
registered Jerseys is producing
the highest grade of milk which
is commanding premium prices
from the Pet Dairies, which
incidentally sells “Monastery
Eggs’’ on milk routes in the
Atlanta area.
All of this, and more, by
men who can pause in their
chores to chant the Divine Of
fice; who can meditate while
working around the hen house
and dairy barn; who can be
come absorbed in their breviary
which is frequently carried in
the pocket of coveralls!
To a veteran farm reporter,
it was rather awe-inspiring to
see a crucifix in the hen houses,
a holy water fount at the en
trance to the bakery. The real
peace and enchantment, if it may
be so termed by a secular, was
typified by the sight of a young
scholastic, in coveralls, sitting
on a three-legged milk stool,
reading his breviary, during the
five-minute respite a modern
milking machine provided him.
The entire production of the
Monastery’s farm—not just
the “surplus"—is marketed
as the community fare is strict
ly vegetarian, which even ex
cludes the normal use of eggs.
The farm has been developed
during the eighteen years the
Order has been in Georgia as
a source of income as well
as subsistence for the com
munity; it is a temporal means
to a spiritual end. More than
likely the complete devotion
of the Monks to their assigned
tasks has played no little part
in the amazing success of the
farm. And there can be no ques
tion the individual solitude of
the community’s members has
inspired many of the modern
and unique innovations that are
a part of the farm.
To the casual city visitor,
the three chicken houses ap
pear to be no different from
those which clutter the hills
of the North Georgia broiler
country. The hens look like
those found on any farm. The
attractive egg cartons are as
“eye appealing’’ as any found
in a supermarket.
But to the agriculturalist, it
is quite another story. The
12,000 hens in the laying flock
are producing at a rate of
seventy eggs per day for each
hundred hens—when most
flocks, in midsummer, average
around six eggs for each ten
hens. While the strain or breed
of the birds is one of the na
tion’s most proficient, the skill
and care in handling the flocks
have much to do not only with
the high peak of daily produc
tion but also with the consis
tently high quality of egg de
manded by the housewife in the
supermarket.
At the outset, when the egg
project was started, the eggs
were cartoned and sold by and
to parishioners in nearby At
lanta. Later, a home delivery
route was set up, and in a
short time, the business
outgrew that type of home dis
tribution. It was then that Pet
Dairies began selling Monas
tery Eggs on milk routes
throughout the Atlanta area.
The dairy herd consists of
200 cows of which approxi
mately 115 are milked twice
a day--early in the morning
before dawn, and again in mid
afternoon when the sun begins
to wane. Because of the phy
siology of the cow, she must
be milked at regular intervals,
usually every twelve hours, to
maintain peak milk production
during the period of lactation.
The Jersey breed was select
ed because of the high butter-
fat content of the milk- an im
portant factor in the premium
paid by the dairies for whole
sale raw milk.
The quiet actions o f the
Monks, their gentleness in
working with the chickens and
animals, might well set an ex
ample for other farmers; this
complete dedication to the “task
of the moment’’ might be puz
zling to the non-Catholic
visitor; to the Catholic who
understands the purpose of con
templative orders in the
Church, it is still quite a sur
prise to see the members of
the community so highly skilled
in what might be termed an
occupation “not usually as
sociated with religious life’’.
It is interesting to note that
Georgia agricultural officials
are quick to bring out of state
visitors to the Monastery to
observe the farming opera
tions.
Not a farm project, but equal
ly important to the cash income
is the Monastery’s bakery; by
no means “modern" as far as
automatic equipment is con
cerned, it, too , is the eptiome
of efficiency. The oven was
purchased in the Southwest, dis
assembled for shipping, and
then re-assembled by the
Monks. One might well imagine
the patience this king-size me
chanical puzzle demanded!
Long noted for its rich home-
baked flavor and texture,
“Monastery Bread" is now a
popular item on the shelves of
Altanta’s largest supermarket
chain.
Associating zeal with humili
ty is a real task for a re
porter; the modesty of the
Monks, in explaining the va
rious techniques of their farm
ing operations was apparent;
yet one couldn’t help but feel
the enthusiasm each Monk feels
for his work in discussing the
technical side of poultry and
animal husbandry.
The average Catholic layman
may think of a religious com
munity in the more familiar
terms of teachers and mission -
THE HEN HOUSE at the Trappist Monastery at Conyers is a truly a “modern
egg factory." The 12,000-bird flock rates with the best of the commercial egg farms
in the southeast, with most of the high quality eggs being sold in Atlanta on milk routes.
BRUNSWICK
BRUNSWICK COCA-COLA
BOTTLING COMPANY
508 Mansfield St. P.O. Drawer C
BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA
ZELL INSURANCE
AGENCY, INC.
504 Gloucester Street
Brunswick, Ga.
Plate Glass Sheet Glass Window Glass Auto Glass
Sliding Glass DoorS" Mirrors AluminDYn Entrances
Store Front Metals Awning Windows
Mirror Wardrobe Doors Tub and Shower Enclosures
GLASS & MIRROR CO.
103 MANSFIELD ST. BRUNSWICK, GA.
PHONE AM 5-7533
GO
WITH
W. FREEMAN DARBY
AND
Your Good Gulf Dealers
BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA
“SEAFOOD AT ITS SOURCE J
On The St. Simons and
Sea Island Causeway
BRUNSWICK, GA.
DECK
RESTAURANT
The First National
Bank of Brunswick
C. H. SHELDON, Chairman
A. M. HARRIS, President
E. R. SHERMAN, Vice President
E. R. GRAY, Vice President & Trust Officer
A. M. HARRIS, Jr. Vice President
A. R. FAIN, Cashier
W. HAROLD PATE, Assistant Vice President
J. H. CARTER, Assistant Cashier
CHARLES OUTLER, Assistant Cashier
MAURICE PARKER, Assistant Cashier
BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA
Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Royal Typewriters - McCaskey Cash
Registers — Victor Adding Machines —
Calculators
KNIGHT
Printing House
OFFICE OUTFITTERS
PHONE AM. 5-5250 BRUNSWICK. GEORGIA
aries—tangible and visible
aims and purposes; and the
manual activities of those in
a cloister or contemplative
order are likely to be con
sidered as a diversion essen
tial to mere physical subsis
tence. So it is rather unusual
to visit with men who have
chosen a simple, yet stern life,
and find them versatile and
competant farmers.
One might well marvel at
these men, obviously dedicat
ed to God, far removed from
a world tottering at the brink
of self-destruction, speaking
with authority on such non
religious subjects as antibiotics
in animal feeds, the economics
of mechanical farm equipment,
and the techniques of farm
marketing practices.
The patron saint of the far
mer, whoever he may be, must
certainly have a warm spot
in his heart for the Monastery
at Conyers.
CARDINAL
PROTECTOR
Mother Mary Regina Cun
ningham, R.S.M., Mother Gen
eral of the Religious Sisters
of Mercy of the Union, has
been informed by a letter from
the office of the Papal Secre
tary of State of the appoint
ment of Amleto Giovanni Car
dinal Cicognani as Cardinal
Protector of the Institute of
the Religious Sisters of Mercy
of the Union.
Cardinal Cicognani succeeds
the late Alisius Cardinal
Muench as Cardinal Protector
of the Sisters of Mercy of the
Union.
Pax Romana
Counselors Meet
M O N T E V I D E O, Ur
uguay, (NC) - An effort to
adapt student counseling by
priests to conditions in Latin
American universities was
made here at the area’s first
meeting of counselors affilia
ted with Pax Romana, inter-
THE MONKS at the
the highest grade milk
in Atlanta.
Monastery at Conyers milk 115 cows twice a day, producing
from purebread Jersey herd. The milk is sold by Pet Dairies
THE DAIRY OPERATION at the Monastery at Conyers is as modern as tomorrow.
Many unusual innovations have been developed by the Monks, adapting existing
facilities and utilizing whatever available equipment is handy. Old pipe serves as a
corrall as the “cows come home" - twice a day.
national Catholic organization
of students and professionals.
The meeting was held in pre
paration for the 25th World
Congress of Pax Romana tak
ing place here from July 25
to 31.
THE BOY’S SHOP
MEN S AND BOYS’ APPAREL
Phone AM. 5-7446, Brunswick, Ga.
GORDON’S
Department Store
1500 NEWCASTLE STREET
BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA