And Finally... Fancy becoming a monk for the weekend?

By James Shepherd on Feb 23, 10 10:27 AM in News

A monastery in Austria is offering people the opportunity to be a temporary monk.

The Franciscan order at Maria Enzersdorf is in need of recruits, so it decided to open up the 15th-century site to outsiders to help them get a flavour of what's involved in the monastic life.

The newcomers will have a chance to work and pray with the permanent residents over the course of the weekend, which is put on free of charge.

The order says it wants to provide a realistic window onto what's invovled in being a monk, and will accept men aged up to 40. They say the scheme, which has been running since October, has so far led to three people considering becoming permanent monks.

And don't worry if you're a woman - an order of Franciscan nuns has also launched a similar scheme.

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