“One thing I ask, this alone I seek to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” Ps. 27
What is cloister?
As women religious dedicated to a purely contemplative life, we embrace cloister as a part of the gift of our vocation. The cloister is a significant symbol of the contemplative life and represents a privileged place for meeting God.
Our search for God elicits a heartfelt desire to withdraw even from those worldly pursuits and activities, joys and pleasures, which are legitimately good. This separation allows us to give ourselves ever more intently to the One who is the source of all joy, beauty, goodness and love. Indeed, cloister aids in our search for the One who is TRUTH, GOODNESS, BEAUTY, and LOVE!
Enclosure enhances our ability to live more attentively to God in solitude, silence, prayer, work, study and penance.
The external expressions of cloister speak to the interior freedom and spaciousness of the human heart where in God dwells.
All our work is carried out within the monastery. We leave the monastery for medical or business needs and, on occasion, for educational purposes or events pertaining to the Order.
Within the cloister “is acquired that clear, enlightened vision which gazes upon the love of the Divine Spouse and this transparent purity allows us to see God. “ (Venite Seorsum).
What cloister is not:
Living a life of enclosure is not a rejection of God’s world and all its goodness. It is not embraced because one is afraid of the demands of life.
