Our Prayers

A Eucharistic Life

 

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and daily Eucharistic Adoration are at the heart of our spiritual life. This spirit of prayer permeates our day, whether we are praying the Liturgy of the Hours, fulfilling our everyday work, or enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. By our religious consecration, we are wed to Christ as His brides. This union enlarges our hearts to make us spiritual mothers through the total gift of ourselves to God and His Church.

 

As spiritual sisters drawn together by God’s own design, we believe that each of us was handpicked by the Lord. We share the humble tasks of everyday living as we foster a joyful and united fraternal life based on charity, prayer, work, patience and a sense of humor. Our holy habit is a particular reminder to us of our shared life and ideals.

 

 

Our Vows

 

Vow of Poverty

 

By the profession of this kind of  poverty, our Order is called
to give corporate witness to the things of eternity.
-Poor Clare Constitutions

The vow of poverty encompasses the life of a Poor Clare in a very particular way as a  daughter  of Ss. Francis and Clare. She desires to be poor because Jesus was poor—in the  crib  in Bethlehem, on the cross and in the holy Eucharist. She claims nothing as her own in   order that she may be filled with eternal riches; she is set free from slavery to materialism   and consumerism. Her life bears testimony to the Scriptures: as having nothing and yet   possessing all things (2 Cor 6:10). This vow deepens the baptismal gift of hope, for she trusts   God to provide for her every need, both spiritual and material.

Vow of Chastity

Perfect chastity in virginal consecration is a precious gift of God that infuses
into our hearts an unparalleled freedom to love.
-Poor Clare Constitutions

The vow of chastity is a Poor Clare’s response to God who has first loved her. When lived  with   generosity, this commitment brings fulfillment and joy, despite the sacrifices involved,   because it unites her forever to Christ her Bridegroom. Through that union, she becomes a   spiritual mother of countless souls. This vow deepens the baptismal gift of charity, endowing   our life with fruitfulness for the Kingdom of God.

 

Vow of Obedience

Religious obedience exalts the dignity of human nature,
for it demands the highest exercise of personal responsibility in the use of our free will…
-Poor Clare Constitutions

Through the vow of obedience, the Poor Clare shares in the redemptive mission of Christ,  who was obedient to the Father in all things, even to His death on the Cross. She lives  surrendered to His will for her as expressed through the Rule, her superiors, and the needs   of  her sisters. This vow deepens the baptismal gift of faith, setting her free from self-   centeredness and willfulness in order to live in a spirit of loving service.

 

Prayer to Saint Clare

O Seraphic Saint Clare, first disciple of the Poor One of Assisi, who hast abandoned all riches and honours for a life of sacrifice, of poverty, of chastify and obedience and to the service of the poor and needy to whom you made yourself. Mother, working for them countless miracles, obtain for us that we be placed under the Will of God, that we be merciful toward our brothers and sisters and that we maintain,in spite of the perils of the world, the Christian faith and its peace.

Amen.