The Monastic Life
"Let my
prayer be as incense before thee, and the lifting up of my hands as an
evening sacrifice!" The words above from Psalm 141 express well the essence of the Monastic life, for it is prayer - the worship of the Triune God, both corporately and individually - which forms the framework of that life.
It is a great privilege for a Religious to live out the Christian commitment in a Christocentric setting, and also a grave responsibility. It is a responsibility in that a Religious Community is a group of people brought together by God to live under Rule and vowed to a total commitment to Christ. It is a privilege because the life is lived in an environment that is designed to aid and support the individual Religious in being faithful to the vows. From the early days, the Religious (Monastic) Life has been distinguished by three characteristics:
Our History
The All Saints Sisters of the Poor were founded at All Saints Church,
Margaret Street, London, England, in
 1851. Their early life, centered
always in corporate and private prayer and nourished by our Lord's Body
and Blood in the Holy Eucharist, was one of service to the poor.
In 1872, at the request of the Reverend Joseph Richey, Rector of Mount Calvary Parish, three Sisters came to Baltimore, Maryland, in order to carry on the same sort of ministry. The Sisters were involved especialy in work with children. In the early 1900's, the Sisters assisted a committee of ladies in the operation of a Country Home for Children. The property, in the area known then as Orange Grove, and known now as Catonsville, was later given to the Sisters. They moved there with some of the children in 1917. For many years the work with children continued to be the principal thrust of the apostolate of the All Saints Sisters. In more recent times, government agencies have increasingly taken over works of the type previously done by the Sisters. As needs have changed, so have ministries; but the center of the Sisters' life: prayer and Sacrament, has continued unchanged. The Sisters endeavor to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as to the direction their life and work will take in future years. Our Spirituality The spirituality of the Community is based on a Rule written by the
Rev'd Upton Richards. He and the Rev'd
Religious Vows The traditional vows: poverty, chastity, and obedience - form a three-fold cord by which a Religious is bound to God in the context of Community. It is a binding of Love through which we are set free. Through the vow of Poverty, we give up the opportunity for worldly success, position, and personal possessions in order to put our trust in God alone, to share in the freedom of Christ by sharing in the poverty of Christ. This freedom is expressed in the Community's motto: "As having nothing, yet possessing all things," which is taken from II Corinthians 6:10. Chastity is proper for all Christians. For the Religious there is also a commitment to the celibate (unmarried) state. This vow opens us to respond to the love of God in a single-hearted way -- always loving Him first and all others in Him. It allows us to love others in a non-possessive way; to love all whose paths cross ours; to love those whom we have never met but whose needs and concerns become our own in intercessory prayer. The vow of Obedience to God through our Rule and through our Superiors frees us to live as directed by the Holy Spirit, through the surrender of our wills, without concern for personal success. It frees us from the compulsion to get ahead, and allows us to live more fully in each present moment. Our Life in Community The members of our Community have committed themselves to a life lived
for their Lord, and in unity with one ano The Mixed Life
The shared responsibility for the
various aspects of life: cooking, cleaning, sewing, laundry, and so forth,
The ministry of hospitality is a traditional part of the monastic life. We are involved in this ministry at each of our houses. Kindly go to Ministries to learn more about our many ministries. |
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