Our Life Style
Our life as Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration is our unique response to God’s initiative. His love draws us to offer ourselves in loving sacrifice in union with Jesus who gave His Life for the world. Desiring to be conformed to Him, we embrace a poor, humble lifestyle of total trust of and in Him.
Our Eucharistic Call
The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration form a Sisterhood centered in Eucharist and committed to radical Gospel living. We carry out the Church’s vocation of praise, thanksgiving, and love. We are called to dwell intimately with our Eucharistic Lord. We draw Divine inspiration, strength, and grace from contemplation of the poor, humble, and loving Jesus present in our midst in the Eucharist.
Our Contemplative Calling
Our call to a life of contemplation is a precious gift of the Holy Spirit to us and to the Church. Mary is our model and inspiration in living out our contemplative call. Mary who lovingly pondered God’s Word in her heart, teaches us to wait upon the Lord in silence and trust. The enclosed contemplative life is the fertile ground in which our life of prayer and adoration can flourish.
Our Franciscan Way
Our Franciscan Way is the source of much joy. Saints Francis and Clare teach us to walk joyfully in the footsteps of the poor and humble Jesus so that through Him we may be led in the Holy Spirit to the Father. We show reverence for all God’s creation and use the gifts of creation with responsibility and thankfulness. As Franciscans, we cherish a filial devotion to Mary and follow her in total surrender to God.
Our Life of Prayer and Penance
By our life of prayer and penance we support and make fruitful the apostolic activity of the whole Church. Interior and Communal prayer lies at the heart of our life. Meditation on the Scripture, as well as other spiritual reading, provides the foundation for this prayer. We seek intimacy with God by maintaining an atmosphere of prayerful silence. We work in a spirit of prayer using our unique gifts for the good of the Community. We share in the Cross of Jesus for the sake of His Body, the Church.
Enclosure
As contemplatives, we freely choose enclosure. Papal enclosure provides the setting of limited space and contacts, in which we are free to pursue our contemplative calling. Enclosure helps us maintain the integrity of our way of life.
Our Life in Community
“GOD HAS GIVEN ME SISTERS.”
Our way of living together in community is based on the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Saints Francis and Clare were so deeply imbued with this Gospel ideal that it became the foundation of their shared life in fraternity and Sisterhood.
“Loving one another with the charity of Christ, let the love you have in your hearts be shown outwardly in your deeds so that compelled by such an example, the Sisters may always grow in love of God and in charity for one another.”
(Testament of St. Clare)
The Sisterly affection in our hearts takes outward form in our everyday encounters as we share life together. It finds expression in our sensitivity to one another, our words and deeds of kindness in mutual respect and care, and in forgiveness of one another’s human shortcomings.
Our efforts to live this call to Gospel love is our primary witness and mission in the Church.