Reuters reporter Sue Zeidler has a story this week on how monasteries are entering the digital age. She notes,

Many monasteries have jumped on the Internet bandwagon to sell a broad range of wares such as books, music, incense, edibles and wearables.

She cited as examples the bookstore of Florence, Arizona-based St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery Web site , which offers books, Byzantine music recordings, prayer ropes and incense, among other things. Then there’s the Abbey of Gethsemani , which has a welcome center and a gift shop, as well as a link for people who are interested in retreats at the monastery.

The one that caught my eye, however, was the Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Virginia. After all, where else can you get a brandy-laced fruitcake , not to mention honey and truffles ?

And you’re not just limited to surfing for goodies. One site even offers a free online test for someone interested in whether they’d make a better monk, brother, friar, sister or nun. Want to be a priest? There’s a separate test for that too.

Aside from monastery commerce, Sue also reported that monks find e-mail “less intrusive than a telephone call.” There’s one nice thing about the Internet: it won’t mess with your vow of silence.

Photo: Computer-generated image of the Bishop of London witnessing the blessing of a member of the congregation. (Handout, May 11, 2004)