There then follows a second hour of silent prayer, of allowing the soul to rest before the grandeur and infinite love of her God. The Novices at this time receive instructions from their Novice Mistress who lovingly guides them to imitate the virtues practiced by the Blessed Virgin Mary and her hidden life in Nazareth.ĥ:00 The bells call the Sisters to Vespers, which on Sundays and feast days is sung according to the ancient and most beautiful Gregorian tones. Sometimes this reading is done as a community, so as to deepen our ongoing formation. Afterword, each Sister reads for half an hour from some spiritual author before continuing on with her work. John of the Cross says: “What we need most is to be silent before this great God… For the language He hears best is silent love.“Ģ:15 In the Choir, the Sisters pray the Hour of None and then the Holy Rosary. The cell is a sanctuary, a little heaven, where the Carmelite may be alone with her Beloved. The individual cells are an important tradition of Carmel, handed down from the days of Elijah. The Sisters gather in the Recreation Room or outdoors to converse with one another as a family, while keeping their hands occupied with some simple work.ġ:00 After Recreation each Sister goes to her own cell for an hour of quiet and solitude. During an hour of Recreation, the brimming cup of joy in each Sister’s heart is allowed to overflow, and the customary monastic quiet gives way to an outpouring of laughter and conversation.
The meals take place in silence while one Sister reads aloud from Sacred Scripture or another spiritual book, a reminder that the soul needs nourishment as well as the body.ġ2:00 p.m. The Carmelites’ diet consists mainly of eggs, fish, cheese, nuts, or beans, together with fruits and vegetables and some form of starch. They then process to the Refectory to take their main meal of the day. They also make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament to thank Our Lord for all His gifts and to unite themselves to Him lovingly in a Spiritual Communion. All this work is performed joyfully and with as few spoken words as possible, that the soul may more easily remain mindful of the loving gaze of God.ġ1:00 The bell rings and the Sisters gather in the Choir to chant the hour of Sext, followed by the midday examination of conscience. The Mother Prioress carries on correspondence that extends over the United States and beyond, and lovingly guides her daughters in even the smallest matters, both practical and spiritual. Great care is taken in the cleaning of the Monastery that it might be always a neat and worthy home for the Holy Family. Many Sisters are kept busy sewing, whether it be habits and veils, or vestments, or scapulars. One Sister cares for the Sacristy, purifying the sacred vessels and ironing altar cloths another answers the Turn to speak to visitors and receive gifts of food and other items another bakes bread, and all take turns cooking. Following Mass is a period of Thanksgiving and then the hour of Terce.Īfter Mass, the Sisters disperse and each one goes about her appointed duties for the rest of the morning.
Assisting at the Holy Sacrifice from behind the grilles, the Carmelite unites herself to Jesus Christ, offering herself to Him with all her love, for the redemption of all mankind and in return for his tremendous gift of Himself for us all. Seven times throughout the day they will come together for the Divine Office, to sing the Psalms in praise of the Most Blessed Trinity, joining in the unending hymns of worship of the Heavenly Court.ħ:45 Holy Mass follows Lauds. All one need do is go into solitude and look at Him within oneself.”ħ:25 After a small breakfast in the Refectory and a short space of time to prepare for the day, the Sisters meet again in the Choir to chant Lauds, glorifying God for His beautiful creation. “However softly we speak,“ says our Holy Mother Saint Teresa, “He is near enough to hear us neither is there any need for wings to go to find Him. Each Sister rises to kneel at the entrance of her cell, and lifts her voice heavenward to sing the first words of the day: “Let us praise Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Virgin Mary, His Most Holy Mother come to prayer, Sister, let us praise the Lord.”ĥ:30 The night sky is still bright with stars when the Sisters process into the Choir for an hour of silent prayer, when each one attunes her heart to the voice of her Spouse. The measured knock of the traditional wooden clappers resounds through the hallways. “One thing I have asked of the Lord, this shall I seek: that I might dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”ĥ:00 a.m. View of our chapel, decorated for the Christmas Season.
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