Benedictine monks are required to become “strangers to the world’s ways” and “prefer nothing to the love of Christ,” according to the rule of their founder. They are not, however, according to Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire, required to do so in a monastery with poor living conditions. So the community of just over 70 active monks has embarked on an £18 million fund-raising campaign, of which £6.8m will help refurbish the monastery building. “Living quarters are basic and frequently damp, with the majority of monks competing for only three bathrooms on each floor,” says a brochure sent out to prospective donors. It explains that “conditions are especially difficult for our growing family of elderly monks” while a young