“God and only God is the origin of our special contemplative calling. He is our goal; in him we find the driving force of our lives and from him we draw our unity. In the apt and compact phrase of the Council we give ourselves over to God alone” [ Constitutions O.P.C ]
Prayer has many different forms
After the Holy Sacrifice of Holy Mass the most important for our contemplative life is the Divine Office. This is also called the Liturgy of the Hours. The Divine office is the official prayer of the Church where we stand before the throne of the Lord in spirit and pray for the whole world. The Church tells us that this is the very prayer that Christ himself addresses to his Father; thus it is a very powerful prayer on behalf of all humankind. We stand together in a column seven times a day for this great prayer, making up for so many of Gods children who neglect this duty of grateful love.
Prayer
Each of us also spends time during the day or night in private prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This time of private prayer is very precious as it enables us to grow in union with God as well as remembering the needs of all our brothers and sisters everywhere.
We pray for young people in schools and colleges and those deciding their future. We pray especially for the sick, you at home or in hospital, the lonely, the poor and all those isolated by an age which rushes aimlessly in the search of wealth and a passing security. We bring before our Lord, through our prayers, the agonies of the sick who cannot afford to be sick, the young mother who’s sickness has no cure, the children who cower in the face of violence and abuse for the Lord is a faithful companion who never ignores the heartfelt petitions of his people. This is the very faith that inspired Saint Clare, the founder of the Poor Clares. These prayers are our calling.
Words to Inspire
Never was the comtemplative vocation more relevant or more precious than in our modern, restless world when the future of the Church and the future of humanity depends on prayer. ( Pope John Paul II )
Community
“Our religious family expresses one particular aspect of the Mystical Body of Christ. This aspect shows a diversity of members who are continually growing into that unity of spirit which is brought about in them by love. This love is the answer to every one of the commandments and the bond of perfection” [ Constitutions O.P.C ]
We have thirty minutes of recreation each day in addition to work and prayer time. This is increased to one hour on Sundays and also feast days. Recreation is where we all come together. We look forward to this period at the end of the day as we can chat away and any items of news we can pass onto the other Sisters. Every skill or talent a Sister may have is given plenty of opportunity to come into practice. Some have music, for others it is art or embroidery or knitting or simply to listen and sometimes these skills can be used to help others as well. We very much love to see the work of the other Sisters as it adds to community living and enjoyment. Community life is really a school and it is amazing what one learns about oneself when living with other people.
Everybody is Important
Everybody is important from the oldest to the youngest and physical exercise is also very much emphasised for health and recreation. Some sisters love looking after the plants in the garden. Should the weather not permit us to go outdoors then we have our recreation inside. The time is not long in passing if one has something interesting to tell.