maturediscerner Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 I know this topic has been discussed in the past, but I have been unable to locate the thread. So here goes...I will be visiting two monasteries in the next few months for discernment visits. I would like to take something to the communities as a thank you. I will be flying to both locations so the gift can't be too large or heavy. Any ideas or suggestions? Thank you and God bless - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsabielle Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Clean joke books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 I'd recommend food products made by other nuns (or monks) - Trappistine honey (Redwoods Abbey in California), candy (Mississippi Abbey in Iowa), cheese (Our Lady of Angels monastery in Virginia); fruitcake (Trappist monks at Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky or Assumption Abbey in Missouri). All of those places also ship direct to the address, so you wouldn't have to take it with you if you didn't want to. That way, you don't have to worry about the cheese getting warm and smelly, or the candy getting warm and gooey. You can order online and most of them let you pick a shipping date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonella Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Art|Photography books. I know they can be expensive but there are affordable options out there. Or maybe a nice graphic novel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shieldmaiden19 Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 If there's time, maybe ask the superiors of the monasteries what they might want or need? I really don't have any ideas on the point, but that might be a good idea. For some reason it always comes into my head to bring homemade bread to monasteries as a gift, but I don't know if that is actually a good idea, and it might be difficult to fly with freshly baked bread, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthfinder Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 One monastery I know prefers to receive paper and stamps. Obviously paper isn't the easiest to carry, but some stores would allow for online delivery. And some sisters at this monastery like to decorate the letters they send, so they would also have liked coloured pens and pencils. Not a glamorous gift, but one that really helped the nuns with all their correspondence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilFlwr Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Maybe you should ask a head of time the superior because in my former monastic community if anyone bought food that was not on their menu for the cook, it caused chaos. Maybe you could bring a gift that isn't food since you are traveling by plane anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 After spending quite a while in a monastery, I would recommend (depending on the congregation) something really useful! Usually the vow of poverty is pertinent so nice cheese is always great... bread or cake is good too if you could manage that on your arrival or if you baked pre- flight. Cheese is a great one though! They eat it at snack time and rarely have really nice cheese... it's always just cheap store bought cheddar! Also chocolate and COFFEE! A really nice bag of ground coffee would be lovely either. Maybe stay away from religious themed gifts.... They have so much of that already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonella Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Stationary and chocolate! Great ideas! You can't go wrong with those. Even if they don't eat sweets or drink coffe, it's a nice thing to have for their guests. I'm going to re-visit a Convent and I remember that none of the ballpoint pens they had in the reading room worked. I'm going to bring with me 20 ballpoint pens now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheresaThoma Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Stamps can be really nice (and easy to carry) If they have Sisters from foreign countries look into international stamps. Something that your area is known for to share with the Sisters might also be a lovely gift. It can be a fun way for them to learn more about you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FancyPantsMcGovern Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 Depending on what color their habit is, oxyclean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunsuch Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 If they read a lot, I would give a gift card to an online book dealer. My suggestion would be BetterWorldBooks, which has used books, and donates a book to a world literacy for every book they sell. Shipping is also free. They do sell gift certificates and have a HUGE selection. Come to think of it, other folks here might also like to try it: https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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