Vocation
‘Each of you is to stay in her own cell or nearby, pondering the Lord’s law day & night, keeping watch at one’s prayers unless attending to some other duty’
— ‘PRIMITIVE’ RULE OF ST ALBERT #8
At the heart of our community life is the abiding Eucharistic Presence of Christ. The daily celebration of the Eucharist is the centre of our day. In keeping with St Teresa’s charism our life is shaped by prayer, both liturgical and personal, and in turn our prayer is nourished by Sacred Scripture.
St Teresa described her communities as little “Colleges of Christ.” They were to be like a small family where ‘all must be friends, all must love one another, all must be cherished, and all must help one another’ (Way of Perfection c.4).
The prayerful and solitary atmosphere which is the hallmark of the Teresian Carmel is fostered by silence. St Teresa wanted her sisters to be hermits living in community. She also understood the importance of having recreation so that the sisters could relax and joyfully communicate with one another.
The Sisters gather in Choir seven times a day before the Blessed Sacrament to pray the Divine Office. Time is given daily for spiritual reading and the study of Scripture to nourish the soul.
There are two separate hours for quiet personal prayer. The remaining time is spent in the various works and activities of the monastery, through which we try to remain prayerfully connected to God.
‘Before I formed you in the womb I called you’
— ISAIAH 44:24