Cistercian Monastic Life

• Seek God and follow Jesus Christ in a community of love.
• Radiate something of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to others.
• Give priority to the praise of God.
• Witness to the contemplative dimension of human existence.
• Live a discrete life of solitude, simplicity and fidelity, sharing everything in common.
• Express our love for all people by calling down the blessings of the Holy Spirit on the world.
• Extend hospitality to all those who visit us.
• Foster strong bonds with the Christian Churches.
• Work for better understanding between other religions of the world.
• Remain in harmony with people of good will.
• Be faithful stewards of our place.

The Daily Round of the Monk

Seven times a day have I praised you. (Ps 119:164)

We praise our Creator at these times:
Morning Prayer,
Prayer at the Third Hour, Sixth Hour and Ninth Hour,
Evening Prayer and Night Prayer;
and let us rise in the Night to give God praise.
(Rule of St. Benedict, chapter 16)

3.45 Rise for the Night Office

4.00 Night Office

The Night Office is the Womb of Silence.
We learn to trust in the darkness
for "the Light shines in the darkness".

In the anticipation of the coming of Christ,
the hours before sunrise are consecrated to God
by the celebration of the Night Office, by prayer and meditation.

6.00 Morning Prayer - Eucharist

The transition from darkness to daylight.
A new day is received as a gift from God.

In the celebration of the Eucharist:
the Word becomes Flesh and Blood,
the community celebrates the gift of Christ
and continues the cry of the Church,
"Come Lord Jesus!"

Breakfast

8.00 Prayer for the Third Hour

May the Holy Spirit set our hearts aflame.
May love spread throughout the land.

Work.

11.30 Prayer for the Sixth Hour

May we be faithful to the Lord.
May our hearts be filled with noon-day peace.

Dinner

Rest

2.00 Prayer for the Ninth Hour

The day is curving back on itself.
May we have courage and strength.

Work

Supper

6.15 Evening Prayer

In our rhythm of earthly life we tire of light.
We are glad when the day ends,
when the play ends, …
the day is long for work or play. (T.S. Eliot)

Meditation

Reading & Prayer

8.00 Night Prayer

The day comes to a close.
We enter the silence of the night
placing our trust in God.

Salve Regina - Hail Holy Queen

We invoke the intercession of Mary,
Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church,
before processing from the church into the night.