Spiritual, Consecrated, Community Life

Spiritual Life

We have inherited a rich spirituality from our foundress, Saint Jeanne Jugan

Christ centred: imitation of Christ in his poverty, gentleness and humility; devotion to the Eucharist, the Word of God and the Sacred Heart;
Poverty of spirit: a desire to live the joy and simplicity of the Beatitudes and to identify ourselves with the lowly;
Trust in God’s Providence to provide for all of our needs, both spiritual and temporal, together with a lively devotion to Saint Joseph, patron and protector of our Congregation;
Marian devotion: Influenced by the French school of spirituality, Saint Jeanne Jugan taught us that to come to the heart of Mary is to come to Jesus;
We take Mary as our mother and our model of total devotedness to Christ and his mission.

A spirit of solidarity and universality: we embrace the riches of all peoples and cultures, pray for the needs of the universal Church and believe that solidarity and sharing are expressions of our common bond as members of one human family, since we are all children of our heavenly Father.

Life of prayer

Our daily lives are marked by a regular rhythm of prayer, which includes:

Liturgy of the Eucharist, celebrated daily with the community and our elderly Residents;
Communal celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours (morning, evening and night prayer);
A period of meditation made together at the beginning of each day and another half-hour of personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament at a moment chosen by each Little Sister;
Daily recitation of the rosary;
Lectio divina and spiritual reading;
Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis.

We appreciate the value of silence as a means of cultivating intimacy with God. With this in mind, we strive to maintain an oasis of quiet and peace in our community areas. Our meals are usually taken in silence. We look forward to several moments of retreat throughout the year, for these help us to refresh ourselves at the fountain of God’s love. Union with God is the hidden source from which our vocation of love and service springs. It is the force which unifies the various elements of our life, leading to a dynamic balance between contemplation and action. This passage from our Constitutions says it best:

"We aspire to an intimate and personal union with Christ. We seek him, simply, in faith, hope and charity and discover him in prayer. His love urges us to serve him in the poor, and in this way to associate ourselves to his work of salvation. Thus, little by little, we will achieve in our life a profound unity between contemplation and action, since this unity dwells in divine charity which leads us with the same élan toward prayer and apostolic action."