Bishop Talley took a trip to visit the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia who are living in the convent at St. Paul Catholic Church in Whitehaven. After Vespers Bishop Talley was able to share a meal with the Sisters finding out about each life and story. (You can get a glimpse into each Sisters story HERE)

Reading the paragraphs below tells a little more about what it means to be a Dominican Sister of St. Cecelia.  How blessed we are as a diocese to have them with us.

 

The same generosity and self-sacrifice which guided your founders – St. John Paul II once said – must now inspire you, their spiritual children, to keep alive the charisms which, by the power of the same Spirit who awakened them, are constantly being enriched and adapted, while losing none of their unique character. It is up to you to place those charisms at the service of the Church and to work for the coming of Christ’s Kingdom in its fullness. (Pope Francis, Apostolic Letter to All Consecrated People)

The charism of a religious congregation refers to the distinct spirit that animates a religious community and gives it a particular character. A charism is part of the permanent heritage of a community, which includes the rule, mission, history, and traditions kept by the religious institute. The charism of a community is such that if all written records were destroyed, it could be re-created through the living testimony of its members. In a spirit of joy and simplicity, and with constant recourse to prayer, hundreds of Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia have witnessed to our charism since 1860.

The essence of what it means to be a Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia is summarized in the community’s Ratio Institutionis, which outlines our program of initial and ongoing formation. Our charism is defined by the following characteristics:

Contemplative Focus

We live the contemplative dimension of Dominican life by our monastic practices which include:

Places and times of silence
Cloister appropriate to our life
Wearing of the religious habit
Living community life
The greatest aids to this contemplative spirit are:

Devotion to the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament
Choral recitation of the Divine Office and the Rosary
A dedication to prayer and the Passion of Our Lord
We are committed to:

A regular prayer life
A life of poverty, detachment and simplicity
A classical sense of our Dominican charism

Active Apostolate

Living the Dominican motto “to contemplate and to give to others the fruits of our contemplation,” we are committed to:

A love of study and a strong preparation for the apostolate of teaching
Excellence in education
A thorough background in theology and philosophy
The religious formation of youth in the Catholic faith

Strong Community Life

In our convents we strive to have:

A loving and wholesome community life which strengthens us for a loving service of the people we serve in our schools
A strong spirit of joy and camaraderie
Pride in our community and a spirit of loyalty
Love of the Church
We draw on the wisdom of the ages and with a deep awareness of our identity as women religious we:

Love the Church and seek to serve her in fidelity
Treasure our vows
Foster a reverence for the priesthood and the Church’s Magisterium
Share with enthusiasm the truth of the Gospel
Witness to our consecration by the wearing of a distinctive habit
Look to the Virgin Mary as our model and mother, seeking to imitate her humility and recognizing in her what is meant by true womanhood.

 

 

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