In the far east of Belgium, right by the Dutch border, in a peaceful open landscape of fields, meadows and woodlands lies the Priory of Our Lady of Klaarland, a community of 16 Trappist nuns.
Life in the Priory of Our Lady of Klaarland is characterized by the three basic elements of Trappist life: prayer, reading and manual work.
Since their foundation in 1970, the community of Klaarland has supported itself by the production and sale of handcrafted, homemade products: monastery jam, cookies, candles and handwoven liturgical vestments. The sisters are proud of the fact that at present they are able to earn most of their income by the work of their own hands, without the help of outside employees. This means that all the sisters, the (very) old as well as the young, are really involved in the production, packaging, and sale. For example, the older sisters help with picking, washing, and preserving the fruit from the monastery’s garden (berries, rhubarb, apples, and quince). The younger sisters cultivate the fruits, purchase other fruits, and take care of the production, sales, quality control, publicity, packaging, etc.
Video (in Dutch) about our Trappist Monastery Jam