Ours
is a life of faith in the Mystery of God
and in the Mystery of the Church.
While the preaching friars speak
to men and women about God,
the nuns in their monasteries speak
to God about men and women.
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For seven centuries, Dominican contemplative nuns, by confident prayer, have sought to draw abundant blessings upon the peoples of the world. In the hidden silence of the cloisters, the nuns have gazed upon Truth in humble adoration and self-surrender. The Dominican ideal flows from our motto, "Veritas" (Truth), which we seek to contemplate and to give to others. It flows also from the Dominican shield: "To praise, to bless, to preach." |
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The foundation of prayer and penance on which Saint Dominic had determined to build his future Order with its worldwide apostolate were to be supplied principally by the cloisters. Our Constitutions tell us that the "nuns are to seek, ponder and call upon God in solitude so that the Word proceeding from the mouth of God may not return to Him empty but may accomplish those things for which it is sent." Our intercessory prayer, at the service of the Church and our Dominican friars, especially, gives a certain fruitfulness to the ministry of all who seek to spread the Gospel of Jesus throughout the world. |
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At the heart of our spirituality is Mary, Mother of God, Mother and
Queen of our Order. It is She who draws us, hour by hour, to
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament." Mary is the special
Mother of the Order whose aim is to praise, to bless and to preach her
Son." |
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The Dominican contemplative life is trinitarian in this way. The nuns petition the Father of mercies for the universal Church, as well as for the needs and salvation of the whole world. Secondly, monastic life is a journey into the heart, into the depths of one's being in order to be transformed and penetrated by the mystery of Christ. Thirdly, they deeply ponder the Sacred Scriptures in order to allow the seed which is the Word of God to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Today, life in a Dominican monastery is basically the same as that lived by Saint Dominic's first daughters. The Liturgy of the Eucharist and the solemn chant of the Prayer of the Church (Divine Office) have the foremost place in the daily schedule. Provision is likewise made for the Rosary, private prayer and study.
Community life unfolds with simplicity and joy in an atmosphere of energetic work and peaceful recollection. Hours of prayer blend into hours of work and recreation to create an indefinable family spirit, a union of hearts which makes all one without effacing the individuality of each member. Work is one of the more common forms of asceticism, yet mutual understanding and sisterly communion are fostered by various forms of recreation. Daily household tasks and the various types of handwork by which the community is supported afford opportunities for the use and development of each one's talents, but above all, the unerring vision of faith pierces the details of this simple life to find within its framework union with God bearing fruits of salvation for all.
To learn more see:
Kathleen Mitchell, "Forsaking the World:
Nuns Spend Lives Praying for Others,"
Sunday Republican (July 9, 2000),
Pages D5, D7.
