Our Benedictine Charism
Our Benedictine Spirituality
For over 1500 years the Rule of Benedict has served as a guide for ordinary men and women who want to live a full Gospel life. Benedictines prefer nothing to the love of Christ. We know God is present in everyone and in everything. Therefore, our lives are characterized by deep reverence and praise for all of creation. Living humbly before the greatness of God enlivens us and draws us to peacefulness and joy. Communion with God comes through all aspects of our lives:
~Our community prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours, and the Eucharist, is the life-giving source of energy and charity.
Our Missionary Charism
The love of Christ impels us, above all, to solidarity with the poor and oppressed and to have an open heart for their needs.
Our missionary service is permeated by the Benedictine spirituality; prayer is the foundation of our missionary work and makes it fruitful. Through our community life we give witness to Christianity genuine lived.
The Sisters serve where the church is in need; we proclaim the Gospel among the people who do not know Christ, and where Christ is not sufficiently known.
Our Community Life
The fundamental characteristic of our way of life is seeking God in community, under a rule and a superior. Our common life finds expression in praying and working together, in sharing our goods, both material and spiritual, and in mutual service, support and encouragement. Plurality and diversity within the international congregation give special blessings and joys to the Sisters.
Mission Statement
The Norfolk Priory of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters is part of an international community of monastic women who participate in the missionary service of the Church by seeking God through community, prayer, and ministry.
Vision Statement
As Missionary Benedictine Sisters with our particular charism of prayer, community cultural, and ethnic diversity, and our commitment to respect persons and creation, we believe our call at this time is to:
~Deepen and share our Benedictine spirituality
~Respond to the critical needs of society with emphasis on the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed.
Our Benedictine Profession
God seals our wholehearted surrender in religious profession. By committing ourselves through our vows we are more deeply united with the life and mission of the Church. Thus our whole life is oriented to the service and glory of God.
Missionary Benedictine Sisters profess the vows of:
~Conversatio Morum is the way of following Christ in religious community under the guidance of the Gospel. It is a continual striving for conversion and seeking to be rooted in God alone. This includes consecrated chastity which frees us for a greater love of God and people and therefore a more intensive apostolate. We share our goods in common and depend on the community for what we need. Our life of detachment is a sign that we are pilgrims hastening to our eternal homeland where our real treasure lies.
~Obedience: The goal of our obedience is union with God and the fulfillment of His saving will in the world. Obedience presupposes and fosters personal maturity and genuine freedom. For obedience to be authentic, a person needs to render it wholeheartedly, willing to take initiative and assume responsibility.
~Stability: The unshakable fidelity of the Lord gives us confidence and courage to preserve in our vocation. Stability binds us in a special way to our Congregation and helps us to live in community, together advancing towards our goal. Knowing that we are firmly bound to the Congregation wherever we are sent, we are strengthened in the fulfillment of our common task.
