The goal of religious life is union with God in prayer, and we, as Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, live this call in a unique way.   We live a rule of life that is both contemplative and active.  The contemplative dimension of our life includes both times and places of silence, as well as communal and personal prayer.   The active dimension of our life includes teaching in schools so as to lead our students and their families closer to God.  This harmony of contemplation and action enables us to live the Dominican ideal.

TO CONTEMPLATE AND GIVE TO OTHERS THE FRUITS OF OUR CONTEMPLATION.

5:00 AM - Rise

Our day begins early to allow time for contemplation before the Lord who is the source of all our apostolic activity.

5:30 AM - Meditation

Our morning begins together in community before the Blessed Sacrament. We begin each day with the Angelus, Morning Offering, and a half hour of private meditation. We give the first moments of our day to Jesus in order to bring him to our students and the people with whom we work.

6:00 AM - Lauds (Morning Prayer)

The Divine Office, also known as the Liturgy of the Hours, is prayed by all priests and religious, as well as many lay faithful throughout the world. Our Community meets together three times a day to pray the Divine Office. It marks the sacred and fixed rhythm of the day. Following the tradition of St. Dominic, we pray with our entire bodies, standing, sitting, and bowing as we chant the Divine Office.

7:00 AM - Mass  

Knowing that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the whole Christian life,  we attend Mass each morning. This is the high point and center of our day.

8:15 AM - Teaching in School 

The majority of the day is spent in the apostolate, bringing the truth of the Gospel to students of all ages in various subject areas.

[An apostolate is the mission of an individual.]

4:30 PM - Adoration 

After the school day, the Sisters can spend time before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for 30 minutes until Vespers and the Rosary at 5:00 pm.

5:00 PM - Vespers (Evening Prayer) & The Rosary

We again gather in the chapel to chant the Divine Office.  Vespers (Evening Prayer) is followed by the recitation of the Rosary in which we honor Our Lady and meditate on the life of her Divine Son.

5:30 PM - Dinner

The community gathers in the refectory for breakfast and dinner, which are eaten in silence. During the meal, we listen to readings from a spiritual book so as to be fed spiritually as well as bodily. On Solemnities (big feast days), we celebrate the day by talking during the meals.

6:30 PM - Recreation

Each evening we gather for an hour of “family time” during which the sisters enjoy one another’s company by playing games or simply being together.  This time serves to re-create the sisters after a long day and to strengthen the community bonds by which we are united.

7:30 PM - Spiritual Reading & Compline (Night Prayer)

In order to nourish the light of faith, we have fifteen minutes of spiritual reading each night before Compline.  After spiritual reading, we pray Compline. In accordance with the ancient tradition of the Dominican Order, we sing the Salve Regina, a prayer to Our Lady, and the O Lumen, a prayer to Saint Dominic.

8:15 PM - Silence

In order to preserve a spirit of recollection with God, we observe silence in the house after Compline. This time is used for personal prayer, school preparations, study, etc.

On the weekends, we follow the above schedule with a few exceptions. For one, we sleep for an extra hour!

Saturdays

On Saturdays, we spend the day cleaning the convent, preparing for the next school week, and enjoying more time for prayer and recreation.

Sundays

On Sundays, we honor the Sabbath through prayer, rest, sacred study, enjoying hobbies and time together. One Sunday each month, we have a retreat day during which we observe silence until dinner. This gives us the opportunity to have extended time for prayer and rest, deepening our union with God and renewing our religious consecration.