1. What are the rules for visiting with family and friends?

We are able to visit with our immediate family twice a year for two and a half days each time. It is always a great time of catching up on family news and enjoying those precious moments together. One of the graces of our cloistered life is that when we are with our family, it is without the distractions of our chaotic world. Conversations and relationships deepen through the mutual sacrifice we make of that separation for the sake of the Kingdom of God. We also enjoy the gift of visits with friends who come to the Shrine or as special occasions arise.  Ceremony days are also a special time of celebrating with our loved ones as we are able to invite extended family and friends to witness these milestones in our vocation.

3. What does a typical day in your life look like?

We wake up at 5:25 a.m. and begin our day in the Chapel with the chanting of the hours of Office of Readings and Morning Prayer of the Divine Office. All throughout the day, there is at least one Sister assigned to Adoration so that at each hour we take turns coming before Him to live out our beautiful charism of Adoration in a spirit of reparative thanksgiving. Holy Mass is at 7 a.m. which is the high point of our day - a daily Christmas and Easter as we encounter the gift of His Incarnation, Passion and Resurrection poured out for us anew. After Mass, we chant Mid-Morning Prayer and then spend 30-45 minutes in a communal time of thanksgiving for the gift of His Coming to us in Holy Communion. We then have breakfast together and begin our daily work. Depending on the duties assigned to us, this may involve cooking our meals, cleaning, sacristy work, opening the mail, laundry, baking bread, working in the garden or orchard, taking care of our chickens, book-keeping, library work, sewing, and more! At 11:30 a.m., we all gather again in the Chapel for Midday Prayer and the Holy Rosary. We then eat lunch together and after dishes are done, we have about an hour of free time for rest, relaxation, exercise, or extra time in the Chapel or outside. At 2 p.m. we go back to our work until 3 p.m., when we chant Mid-Afternoon Prayer and pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet together. After this, there is more work time and also depending on the day, time for study or formation classes. At 5 p.m. we pray Evening and Night Prayer and then have our supper together. After dishes, we have recreation together which is always an enjoyable time to talk and laugh together, as we keep an atmosphere of silence in the Monastery throughout the rest of the day. Some evenings we have choir practice at this time. At 8 p.m. Grand Silence begins which is a time of greater quiet and solitude as we enter into more focused recollection and preparation for our participation in Holy Mass and reception of Our Lord in Holy Communion the next morning. We can spend time in the Chapel or in our cells, praying or reading until lights out at 10 p.m. 

daily schedule

5. How many sisters are here and what are the typical ages?

We have 16 Sisters and currently range in age from 20 to 94 and are growing! The majority of our Sisters are young and many entered right after high school or in their early college years. We have an annual Saint Clare Retreat for discerners, and often from this group, a young woman will feel called to pursue Aspirancy with us for 3 months. After this, if she wishes to continue, there is an application process and then if she is accepted by the Community, a date for her entrance ceremony is set. In 2023, we had the amazing blessing of 4 entrances! We are so grateful to God for every vocation we receive which is a great gift for our Community and for the Church. It is so beautiful to see young hearts captivated with the desire to give themselves totally to God in the Religious Life.

7. What is it about your order you love most?

That we are dedicated to Eucharistic Adoration! What an unfathomable gift we have in Our Lord's Real Presence among us. It is an amazing privilege to be called to live out our lives at His Feet, in His Shadow and adore Him on behalf of the whole world. Living under the same roof with Him and coming back again and again throughout the day to encounter His Loving Gaze and to be able to offer Him our presence in return for His, is an absolutely overwhelming grace.

9. Do you have a library?

Yes, we have a wonderful library, which is a very important part of a Monastery. We have all of the spiritual classics, many works of theology and philosophy, writings of the Fathers of the Church and Scripture commentaries. We have a good amount of books on world and Church history, geography, and nature. There is a large selection of biographies of the Saints, and a fantastic selection of the great works of literature.

11. Is it claustrophobic in the cloister?

Not at all! We don't even notice the bars in the parlor or the walls around the yard. This may be partly because we have a spacious enclosure. But it is deeper than that. If a young woman feels "trapped" inside the cloister, this is a sign that she is not called to this life. We like to say that the locks are on the inside. Living in a restricted area is not something we are subjected to, but something we have freely chosen - not for its own sake, but to help us to focus entirely on He Who is our All. So many distractions are stripped away in the enclosure which fosters our silence, our recollection, our relationship with our Spouse.