Harvesting to the rhythm of the bells is normal for the monks at the Abbey of Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux, in the south of France. In this drought-stricken year, the harvest is expected to be of high quality, which is more than enough reason for these monks to give thanks. The harvest is completed in a cassock in plots that are among the last in France to still belong to an abbey. These monks spend their days pruning olive trees, cleaning the vines and making bread. Every day is marked by eight sessions of collective prayer. Monastic communities were originally formed as a means to separate mo…