In 1950 the Franciscan monks bought Gomistegi, a country house 3 km away from Arantzazu.

In the beginning, the livestock was few. As time went by, they destined significant land parcels to livestock and, nowadays, it possesses a wide-ranging and diverse orchard, with plenty of first-class products. Some years ago, they started sheep-breeding and opened a modernly-equipped cheese factory. The observance of norms and carefulness watching their sheep made them “Best Flock” prize winners a number of times. As a result, the Shepherd School was created in 1997, enjoying the surroundings of Gomistegi and the support of the Basque Government. Each year a course is organized to instruct and certify new shepherds. There are five friars living in Gomistegi. Besides praying, they devote their time to agricultural tasks, essentially taking care of the flock and the orchard. Friar Nikolas, head of the Shepherd School, is the main coordinator.