Every Day is an Adventure
A Day in the Life . . .
Our daily life is a delicate balance of prayer and work -- both
in community and in solitude. We are fortunate to have a number of
faithful chaplains who make it possible
for us to have Mass each day in our Chapel.
Our day is marked by the singing of the Liturgy of the Hours;
five times a day we come together to pray with and for the Church in this
beautiful, centuries-old prayer of the Church. Along with prayer in common,
each sister makes an hour of private prayer in the morning and a half
hour in the afternoon. Each sister also spends a half hour a day
doing spiritual reading.
One of our primary apostolates is our all-girl
college preparatory school. Most of the sisters are involved
in the school in any number of different capacities. Some teach classes,
most serve as homeroom teachers and several moderate clubs. Beyond
formal responsibilities in the school, sisters attend
school Masses and home athletic events as well as concerts, plays and
musicals.
The sisters also work in the
monastery. One might find them in the kitchen, laundry, sacristy, library,
business office, archives, garden and refectory. Our sister nurses care
for the infirmary, and keep us healthy! Some of their work is done together --
in common -- and some is done alone. Each evening, the community gathers
for recreation at 7:00pm. Community recreation is just what the word suggests:
re-creation. We spend time relaxing together; sometimes we share a joke or a story;
other times we simply enjoy listening to the sisters recounting the day's events.
It is a time to relax in each others' company and re-create together.
While the times for common prayer and meals are scheduled,
the activities in between are not. Within the horarium
is a great deal of flexibility for a sister to attend to her work
responsibilities, private prayer and spiritual reading. Unfailingly,
each day holds new surprises and they, too, become part of this
delicate balance. The day ends at 7:45pm with Night Prayer.
"Simplicity towards God consists in seeking Him only in all our
actions, whether we are going to the Office, to the refectory
or to recreation."