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Our Life
Our Vision
Following the spiritual teachings of St Teresa of Avila, the foundress of our religious order, we live a hidden life of contemplative prayer and intercession as our primary mission in the Church. Through this life of continual prayer in friendship with God, we try to witness to the reality of His love for all creation as well as our own deepest desire to belong wholly to God, who alone can truly fulfil the human heart.
What We Do
As Carmelite nuns, our lives are rooted in prayer. Praying for the Church and for the world, our days are punctuated by regular periods of prayer in common as well as two hours each day of silent prayer.
We endeavour to witness to the Gospel through the complete gift of ourselves to God in a life of loving service expressed concretely in all that we do as part of a community.
Our Community
Within the Carmelite Family, we nuns have a particular vocation to dedicate our lives entirely to prayer and to God. This means that while we live, work and pray together as a community, we also strive to maintain a more eremitical atmosphere to allow us to live as 'hermits in community'. The communal aspects of our life enable us to put our faith and love into practice by serving our sisters.
“However poor and humble our prayer, this is its aim: that God will take possession of us, live within us, give His love to the world through us.”
~ Sr Wendy Beckett
Horarium
5:30 am
Rise
6:00 am
Angelus, followed by Lauds/ Morning Prayer (7.00am on Sundays)
6:25 am
Silent prayer
7:30 AM
Terce
7:50 am
Appeau* for Mass (the sisters gather in the antechoir to process into Choir)
8:00 am
Mass, followed by breakfast and work
11:45 AM
Sext, followed by Angelus and Examen**
12:00 pm
Dinner
1:15 pm
30min Siesta – a time of rest or quiet activity
1:45 - 4:10 pm
Spiritual Reading, None said in private, work time
4:05 pm
Appeau* for Vespers/Evening Prayer (the sisters gather in the antechoir to process into Choir)
4:15 pm
Vespers/Evening Prayer
4:45 - 5:45 PM
Silent prayer (Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every Thursday)
5:50 pm
Office of Readings, followed by Angelus
6:20 pm
Supper
7:15 - 8:15 pm
Recreation
8:15 pm
Examen**, followed by Compline. Great Silence until after Terce the next day
8:45 - 9:45 pm
Retire to cell, time for quiet and prayer
*Appeau is a French term that refers to a first call before Mass or an Office starts. It can also be called a ‘1st Bell’ or the ‘Voice of God’ and is an indication for the sisters to leave what they are doing and prepare for what they are being called to, that is getting ready for Mass or the Divine Office in Choir.
**Examen is the Latin name for a short period of silence to allow for a personal, silent examination of conscience. It can be a time of reflection on how the day has gone so far, an evaluation of our thoughts and actions to help us discern God’s will and presence in our life.
A fixed horarium, or timetable, covering the whole day, is an essential part of the Teresian Carmel and its charism. Faithfully adhered to, it enables us to live what we profess, namely, a life dedicated to prayer. The horarium is designed to minimise distractions and time wasting. Coming together at stated times throughout the day is also an important way of expressing and deepening our unity as a community. The way our horarium is structured is to reflect clearly the priority of prayer in our life in such a way that no great length of time elapses between one act of prayer and the next. In effect, we are continually being drawn back to prayer either in Choir or in a place of solitude.
The horarium must faithfully promote the balance between the eremitical and communal elements of our life, making sure that each part is given sufficient space to maintain that balance. On special feast days and for extraordinary events our horarium may be varied to adapt to the day’s special circumstances. On such occasions we are careful to maintain the two hours of silent prayer and adequate time for the celebration of the Divine Office.
