Prayer at the heart of our lives; Christ at the heart of our prayer

“God is Spirit and those who worship must worship in truth” Jn 4:24

Our Dominican motto, ‘contemplare et contemplata alliis tradere’ (contemplate and pass on to others the fruits of contemplation), confirms that as apostolic communities we should be deeply rooted in prayer and contemplation. Prayer not only moulds our life but nourishes our mission as well.

Praying together

We daily and communally celebrate the liturgy of the hours. It is the prayer of the Church. In this way we continue Christ’s priestly role in the Church’s song of praise and thanksgiving. It is a privilege and a duty which sanctifies our whole day.

The Eucharist is the centre of the community Liturgy, the bond of charity and source of apostolic strength. The Prayer of the Church extends the Eucharistic worship of God into the different hours of daily life. In the footsteps of our Fr Dominic, we chant Psalms during prayer times every day.

Personal prayer

To foster a deeper relationship with God, sisters spend time apart each day in personal prayer. Our personal prayer lives are nourished by spiritual reading, the prayerful reading of Scripture and private recitation of the Office of Readings, and silent awareness of God’s presence.

Sisters also make an annual retreat and are encouraged to participate in days of recollection. Often communities will plan days of reflection together, spending time sharing their faith stories with one another.

At the heart of our prayer and our lives

Our daily devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus calls us to love Christ, his people and all our undertakings. Devotion to Mary the Mother of God is integral to our Dominican tradition. Legend attributes the development of the Rosary to St Dominic: he is often portrayed kneeling to receive the Rosary from Our Lady. As we pray the Rosary, we meditate on the life and mission of Christ in the Gospels.

Believing in the promise of St Dominic that he prays for the Dominican Order in heaven, we daily call on his intercession. Each commemoration of the Dominican Saints is a time of celebration, and special liturgy is prepared for these feasts.

It was said of St Dominic that he ‘spent the night speaking to God and the day speaking of God,’ and he exhorts all his children to do the same. Prayer and study were at the heart of Dominic’s life, nourishing one another. So too, they are at the heart of our lives, both as individuals and members of a community.

Treasuring different ways of worship

Being a Congregation of women from different cultures and nationalities, with varied ways of worship, we treasure and share in the spiritual gifts each culture brings to enrich and enliven our prayer and liturgy.