Our life as Disciples of the Divine Master

 

People often ask me if our Congregation is contemplative or apostolic. Actually, we are a mixture of both- we consider ourselves contemplatives in action. We are not an enclosed or monastic order though certain elements of our life draw from these ways of life.

Our day begins with 2 hours of liturgical and biblical prayer in common. Throughout the day, we have at least 2 hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, as Perpetual Adoration is the foundation stone of our religious life. Where it is possible in our convents, we take turns so that there is a continuous presence of the Sisters before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we bring the world to Him and keep Him company. In this prayer and contemplation, we become still points in the midst of a swirling world. Without leaving the convent, we can reach the whole world with our prayer, this framework of action has no limits. There, we intercede for the needs of the world, bringing prayer intentions before the altar which come to us via post, telephone, email and even Facebook and Twitter!  There is a special place in our prayer for those who work in the field of social communication that they may communicate the truth. Our prayer also acquires a sense of reparation, as we pray for the sins committed because of the media and those who work with these powerful means.

 From this Eucharistic mission, two other ministries flow: that of liturgical service and of priestly service. We do not teach specifically but because of our mission dedicated to the liturgy and life of the Church, this often requires that we teach specific subjects, especially in the liturgical and biblical fields through formation, catechesis, biblical-liturgical animation and publications. Alongside this, we are involved in different ministries throughout the day, ranging from sewing and embroidering vestments, painting, sculpture, architecture, music in order that prayer may be characterized by beauty and dignity. In our communities, we usually have a ‘shop’ or a Liturgical Centre as we call it, where we can provide for our living, introduce people to the ministry we do and provide the items which are needed for Churches, spaces of prayer and worship etc.

 Another facet of our charism is the accompaniment of the priest throughout his life. Our ministry of prayer and pastoral presence extends from the young man who is in vocational discernment to the priest who moves into retirement and even afterwards in death, we continue to pray for those priests whom nobody prays for, those who we have known and whom have ministered with such dedication.

From there, we pray for priestly and religious vocations, help them in their growth and development, assist and accompany the presbyters in the exercise of their ministry, in times of suffering and pain, in their old age and in other difficult situations.

 All our meals are in common, thus we cultivate a strong community life, extending this space to priests in need, in solitude or sickness. In our communities, we strive to create a modern-day Bethany, like the place where Jesus went in the Gospel to visit his friends, a place of spiritual restoration so as to continue the journey. 

With such a varied mission, it goes without saying that prayer must be the corner-stone of all this service. On our own we can do nothing, but with God we can do all things. In the evenings, we gather for Vespers and common prayers to thank Him for all He has given and to continue our prayer for the world. Our community prayer is open to other lay people who wish to pray the Divine Office with us, morning and evening.

Using an image proper to our mission, the Church is like a huge mosaic composed of numerous tiles, each one of them contributing to a bigger picture. The beauty is precisely in that each one is different, yet each one is needed. There are many religious orders out there but I have tried to share a little about our Congregation. It might seem like a lot to digest but an open heart is all that is needed to see what the Lord can do in your life.  He uses our gifts and talents and our challenges and weaknesses to serve Him. First of all, He wants us to ‘be’ for Him, to spend time in prayer with Him, learning about Him through the Scriptures and the Word of God for each day. He always gives us the grace to carry out what He wants us to do and be and He always leads us to the fullness of life which He promises in the Gospel (John 10: 10).  If you wish to know more about our Congregation, please do not hesitate to make contact or drop an email to : srlouisepd@gmail.com