Community Life
Saint Dominic always intended that his brethren should live in community. Today, as Sisters with an active apostolate, we perpetuate this tradition by maintaining a fervent life in common. We pray together, eat together, have community recreation and whenever possible undertake the apostolate as a team. The love of God unites us and calls us to serve our neighbour with joy.
Dominican life is characterised by a spontaneity, warmth and joy, underpinned by sound common sense. We rejoice in our individual diversity and gifts.
The Horarium Our daily timetable or horarium also helps to foster our community life:
05.45 Rising Bell
06.30 - 07.00 Meditation
07.00 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer
08.00 - 10.00 Study
10.00 - 12.00 Work
12.00 Angelus & Midday Prayer
12.15 Holy Mass (Sunday 09.30)
13.00 Lunch
14.30 - 16.55 Work
17.00 Rosary followed by Evening Prayer
18.15 Supper
19.45 Recreation
20.15 Adoration followed by Compline The Grand Silence follows Compline until after Morning Prayer the next day
Visitors are welcome to join the Sisters for Mass and the Divine Office
The horarium occasionally changes so please phone ahead to check times
The Vows Our unity both spiritual and temporal is fostered by striving together to live our religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Our poverty ensures a simplicity of life based on common values. This renders us unhampered and more able to spread the Gospel. Our chastity proclaims our total commitment to the service of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our obedience is a demonstration of lives gifted to God, Our Father. Through this vow we symbolically recognise the sacrifice of the Cross.
Dominican Obedience
Obedience has always been a strong virtue in the Order of Preachers.
It is the only vow that Dominicans mention explicitly in their
profession formula. Unlike some religious, they do not take
the vow to obey the rule, but a person, a person representing God.
Dominican obedience has a personal quality that it does not have in
every Order. It is the keystone of Dominican existence.
It is not negative but positive. It is the fulfilment of
personality because it makes the religious like the Only-Begotten
Son of God who was obedient unto death. Imitation is one of
the finest tributes we can render to Christ. He was obedient,
not only to his heavenly Father, but also to Mary and Joseph.
He obeyed Pilate, Herod, the High Priest, and his executioners.
Obedience, the most important vow, protects the
religious from the misuse of his talents, brings him the guidance of
superiors, and ensures him constancy of purpose and steady progress
toward perfection. Obedience causes a great holocaust of
consecrated lives to send up the smoke of sacrifice from the
thousands of Dominican priories, monasteries, motherhouses, and
convents that cover the map of the world.
Monastic Observance
Dominican life has always been
underpinned by monastic practices. These are useful in the religious
formation of the individual, help foster a community and assist in
the apostolate. Some of these practices which we undertake include:
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Worthy
Celebration of the Liturgy
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Study of Sacred Truth
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Wearing the Habit
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Silence at certain times and places in the Priory
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Spiritual Reading at Mealtimes
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Cloister suitable to our way of life
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Each sister has her own 'cell' for rest, prayer, lectio
divina and study
The Sisters
By her experience and formation in
community a Sister is both enabled and encouraged to develop her
talents. By freely choosing a monastic life and through the gift of
grace a Sister experiences both personal and spiritual maturation.
