NOMADELFIA A NEW PEOPLE "Nomadelfia" means: the law of brotherhood
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THE WORK

  • The printing press There are no employers and employees
  • There is no exploitation
  • The firms are run in a brotherly manner and every one is a co-manager
  • No one is paid and there is no private property
  • Everyone is available for any kind of work
  • Repetitive or heavy work is done together
  • There are no strikes and there is no absenteeism

A NEW SOCIAL SOLUTION: BROTHERHOOD. "Neither servant nor master". After Fr. Zeno's talk with his anarchic friend, and in function of the decision he took at the age of 20, Nomadelfians work only within their community's firms. They cannot hire and they cannot be hired.

THE FIRMS. The firms are run in a brotherly fashion and the workers are not allowed to take advantage of each other.
The presidency nominates a manager for each firm who must run it in harmony with the other firms of the community.
He must justify regular activity to the presidency and special activity to the Assembly.

AVAILABILITY. There are no career possibilities and everyone must be available for any kind of work indicated by the presidency in accordance with the community's needs and the individual's capacities.
Certain jobs are done in turn by everyone: night guard, stable work on feast days and accompaniment of visitors.

NO ONE IS PAID. No one owns any private property. Unemployment does not exist in Nomadelfia.
The elderly and handicapped work as much as they are able and no one feels useless.

THE HOURS. The Nomadelfians' work week begins on Monday and ends on Saturday and have a 5 hour work day. They hold jobs in firms, workshops, schools and offices. In the afteroons, specialized work may be substituted by "joint work" which is done by the entire population.


Joint WorkJOINT WORK. Its purpose is to avoid that only a small group of people do heavy or repetitive work as for example: removal of rocks from the fields, trimming, olive picking, grape-harvesting, construction, road maintenance.
With the help of mechanical equipment and joint work, a dam with a 300,000 m.3 lake and irrigation system have been built.



THE ACTIVITIES. The typography serves to diffuse Nomadelfia's proposal. The monthtly magazine "Nomadelfia is a proposal", founded by Fr. Zeno in 1968, has a circulation of 70,000 copies. Fr. Zeno's books are published as well as Nomadelfian publications and pamphlets for the community's use. The printed matter does not have a price but it is distributed to those who request it by making a contribution.
The agricultural firm cultivates 120 hectares of land, it sees to  the breeding of animals, the cellar, the oil press and dairy.
The mechanic's shop repairs the community's motor vehicles.
The electronics laboratory has given rise to a television station which produces programs and documentaries for the community.
Nomadelfia also has schools, archives, carpentry firms, a photo laboratory, electrotechnical and plumbing firms, a tailor's shop, a doctor's office and other offices. Firms and laboratories are equipped to teach young people.


The CultureTHE CULTURE. Nomadelfia's culture, which comes from a patrimony of faith, knowledge and experiences, pushes us toward our fellowmen and toward the construction of a new society.
For Fr. Zeno, to possess a culture does not only mean "knowledge" but living what one knows: it is a concept of "living culture", it is a committment to coherence.
Everyday, after the afternoon's work, in order to nourish the spirit and to deepen their mission, the Nomadelfians gather in a common area or within the family groups and once again listen to Fr. Zeno's recorded meditations while following along with written texts.
At times they study society's problems through documentaries or reports prepared by some Nomadelfians on a specific topic or by attending conferences held by celebrities outside of the community.
The children often attend these courses too.