Being both an Economics major and a Theology minor, thinking about economics within a religious paradigm has been one of my persistent topics of interest. During the monasticism unit in my THEO 317 class*, including our discussion of Benedict of Nursia, I was drawn to learn more about the economics of monastery organization in Medieval Europe. Monastic organization occupies a unique position in the study of historical economies, and it challenges our ordinary paradigms of understanding modern economics. I am excited to bring together two of my greatest academic interests, economics and theology, into dialogue in this project.

*THEO 317: History of Christianity: Ancient/Medieval  – Dr. Josefrayn Sánchez-Perry, Fall 2025.

         I analyzed three primary and three secondary sources for this project. Firstly, I looked at the Rule of Benedict of Nursia, whom we discussed in class as being one of the most influential monastic figures, and whose rule was enormously influential in the development of western European monasticism. I also used the Rule of Augustine of Hippo, an even older monastic document. For my three secondary sources, I used two book chapters and one academic paper discussing the relationship between monasticism and economics. The first is titled “The Monastic Economy”, chapter 11 of the book Monastic and Religious Orders in Britain, 1000-1300 by Janet Burton. I also used “Monastic Economics in the Carolingian Age,” published by the Cambridge University Press, and a 1961 paper by J.A. Raftis titled “Western Monasticism and Economic Organization”.

I had the privilege of conducting an interview with Fr. Patrick Gilger, a member of the Society of Jesus and a Loyola University Chicago Professor. We discussed his personal Jesuit experience with the vow of poverty, and the sociological underpinnings of monastic economics.

In this research project, I will be presenting a review of the economics of medieval Christian monastic communities. I will examine the religious background and lived experience of economic practices in monasteries, and will compare and contrast those concepts to modern-day economic systems. I will also discuss the role that faith, religion, and worship play in providing a common structure and foundation to the monastic economy.