Prayer and Spirituality

Our Charism is "to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, the Author of Life, with joyful simplicity, in the spirit of St Francis of Assisi." In addition to St Francis, our Lady of Guadalupe is our patroness. She is the true Superior and Foundress of our community.

All Sisters strive to follow Christ after the example of Saint Francis of Assisi through:

• Prayer

• Poverty

• Penance

• Charity

• Obedience

Prayer

• 5:00 a.m. – Rise

• 6:00 a.m. – 2 hours of Adoration

  • Matins (Office of Readings)

  • Lauds (Morning Prayer)

  • Community Rosary

  • Lectio Divina / Meditation

• 8:00 a.m. – Mass

• 8:45 a.m. – Breakfast

• 10:00 a.m. – Work

• 12:00 p.m. – Angelus

• Sext (Midday Prayer)

• 12:15 p.m Lunch

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus"

1 Thess. 5:16-18

An Horarium is a community's daily schedule of prayer, work, and community time. Our community is both Contemplative and Active- we pray for about 4 hours a day and are also very active in our apostolates.

Our day begins with 2 hours of Adoration.

Our morning adoration time includes Matins, Lauds, and the Rosary, after which we have about an hour of silent adoration. During this time, each sister has the opportunity to pray in silence as the spirit moves her; listening to the Lord, spiritual journaling, meditating, engaging in Lectio Divina, etc.

Poverty

"...everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." - Lk 14:33

St Francis loved "Lady Poverty." In fact, it was Jesus' words to the rich young man in the Gospel, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matt. 19:21) that first inspired St Francis to give up everything and live for the Lord alone. St Francis wanted to be poor because Jesus chose to be poor. Jesus tells us that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be found also" (Matt. 6:2) True Poverty releases our hearts from attachment to the things of this world so that our hearts are free to soar up to heaven!

Poverty also gives us a certain solidarity with the people whom we serve, our neighbors in need. Many of them struggle to make ends meet, some have to make great sacrifices so their children can have what they need. Poverty prevents us from ever having an "us and them" mentality. Rather, we see each person as a neighbor, a friend, or a family member. Living in poverty is another way that we give witness to the fact that life is not about what you have, it is about who you are- a son or daughter of God with immense dignity.

Poverty of spirit and material poverty are complimentary; they help each other grow and bear fruit. So in our community, we have chosen to live both. We take a rather radical vow of poverty- we literally have no source of income. We don't make things and sell them or receive any salary, nor would we wish it any other way. God takes care of us! We could tell you story after story of how we had a need and before we knew it, God inspired someone to bring whatever it was that we needed, or the means to obtain it. Living poverty in this way gives birth to trust in God, humility, and gratitude.

We try to live very simply, in imitation of St Francis and of our Lord Jesus. Our community can own no property- our convents and mission buildings are owned by others who allow us to use them. We live in the poor areas of the cities where the people that we serve live. We always try to be good stewards of what we are given. We use only what we need. But if someone else needs it more we give it to them!

Penance

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." Matt. 16.24

Franciscans were originally known as the "order of penitents." St Francis was keenly aware of his own faults and knew well that our lower nature is inclined to sin. He wanted to protect himself from temptation and to make atonement.

Penance is a state of the heart, not just external works.

But just as poverty of spirit and material poverty complement one another so do penance of the heart and penance of the body. Through penance, we train our bodies to be detached from pleasures. Pleasure, while good in itself, is something that the enemy so often uses as a false promise and a lure to sinfulness. It is so easy to become a slave of pleasure, to the point of doing whatever we can to obtain it. Each daughter seeks to frequently deny herself, always placing the needs and desires of others before her own.

In regards to food and drink, The Franciscan rule teaches us to be content with the minimum necessary and not seek the maximum allowed. On Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, our whole community fasts from meat and eats simple meals. Private fasting and acts of penance are encouraged for all, according to each one's ability, and each Sister takes up her crosses and sufferings and unites them to the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

St Jean Vianney once said, "The devil is not so much afraid of the 'discipline' or other instruments of penance. That which beats him is the curtailment of one's food, drink, and sleep."

Acknowledging our own sins and need for God's mercy, we typically receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation each week.

In the Spirit of Saint Francis, each sister strives to be an instrument of God's peace, sowing love where there is hatred, pardon where there is injury, faith where there is doubt, hope where there is despair, light where there is darkness and joy where there is sadness. Each Daughter should be ready to console rather than be consoled, to comfort rather than be comforted, to understand rather than be understood. This allows each Daughter to serve God freely with an open heart and soul.

The Sisters offer their services to anyone who presents themselves for help. We never call them "clients" but "neighbors", and truly, many of them are more like family. We offer our help to them without cost and without judgment.

Charity is more than helping people get the things that they need, it's about truly loving them as a person, being interested in them, going out of our way just to walk with them; even if it means going the extra mile and even if they fall a few times along the way. Charity is loving each person as Christ has loved us. This is what it means to uphold a person's dignity- to give them the Love that Jesus gives to us, to show them that they are worthy of love.

"Charity begins at home." St Teresa of Calcutta used to say, so our sisters try to embody this in their interactions with each other, with our volunteers, friends, and acquaintances. bearing with one another patiently, sharing our joys and our sorrows, and helping each other along to road to holiness.

Our convents are relatively small, and we take our meals together in the manner of a family; talking, laughing, sharing the joys and struggles of the day together.

While some chores are assigned to individual sisters, most household chores are held in common. We cook together, we clean together, we work together.

Each evening, the sisters reserve about an hour to just spend time together as a family. Sometimes we play games, make music, watch a movie about a saint, read a book together, or engage in hobbies together. All of this is done to promote a true spirit of family among the sisters.

"I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another." John 13:34

Charity

Obedience is ultimately an expression of Love. When we love someone, we have a natural desire to want to please that person, to do whatever they want. We have come to religious life because we are deeply in love with God, and so it is only natural that we would want to surrender our wills to His. Our Obedience signifies our desire to respond like Christ to the Father's Will; He who was obedient even unto death. In our Community, we vow obedience to God, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to our holy father St Francis, to our local ordinary (the Bishop), and to the Community Servant (our earthly superior.)

We seek to do the Lord's Will in everything, imploring Him at the beginning of each day, that every thought, word, action, and every movement and affection of our hearts be totally united to His Most Holy Will. By this, we recognize that our Father knows what is best for us and if we follow His precepts and trust in Him, we will experience peace in this life and Eternal Joy with Him in Heaven.

Contrary to the world's belief that obedience limits freedom, obedience makes us truly free. The world tells us that in order to be free, we have to be able to do whatever we want however we want, whenever we want... But a person who does that is actually a slave to their own desires, to the world's opinions, to any whim and fancy that comes and goes. Just ask them to give up those things for a while, and they will discover that they have become dependent upon them. We are all guilty of this in different ways; Because of original sin, our human nature is inclined to submit itself in slavery to the very things which should be submitted to us! We work against this tendency through obedience.

A truly free person is someone who is not enslaved by their own desires, by sinful inclinations, by a need to feel good, or by addiction to pleasure and comfort. A truly free person is not a slave to the opinions and expectations of the world or to an obsessive desire to have everything perfect or to be perfect. This person knows that God loves them infinitely, that God knows what is best for them, and this knowledge leads to a surrender that blossoms into great freedom, freedom that the world does not even comprehend!

Jesus Himself said that all authority comes from heaven (Jn 19:11) and so as religious, we trust that God has given authority to our superiors and that He will work in and through them. By surrendering our own desires to the direction of those in authority over us, we are actually surrendering to God, Who is the one that gave them that authority.

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." John 14:15

Obedience

Favorite Community Prayers

Prayer of Adoration

We adore You, Lord Jesus Christ, in all Your Churches throughout the whole world, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world. Amen.

St Francis' Prayer before the Cross

Most High, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart, and give me true faith certain hope and perfect charity, sense and knowledge, Lord, that I may carry out Your Holy and True Command. Amen.

Prayer of Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is error, truth;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen

Prayer of Surrender (St Ignatius of Loyola)

Take, oh Lord,

all my liberty, receive my memory, my understanding and my whole will.

All that I am and all that I have come to me from Thy bounty.

I give it all back to thee, Surrendering it all to the guidance of Thy Holy Will.

Give me They love and Thy Grace; with these I am rich enough and I ask for nothing more.

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me,

Body of Christ, save me,

Blood of Christ, inebriate me,

Water from the Side of Christ, wash me,

Passion of Christ, strengthen me,

Oh Good Jesus, hear me,

within Your Wounds, hide me,

from the evil one, protect me,

at the hour of my death, call me,

and close to Thee, bid me,

that with Your saints I will be praising Thee

forever and ever. Amen.