If by that is meant that we are superhuman, either physically or spiritually, then – no, we’re not. We are quite ordinary people, really! Monastic life is one way,among many ways, of living out our baptismal consecration, the basic Christian commitment. Each baptized person is called to a particular Christian lifestyle, and receives a particular grace from God to live in that way. Certainly, the ability to live monastic life is dependant on God’s grace; but that grace is not given because of anything special which we are in ourselves, or anything we have done, it is simply a free and mysterious divine gift to whomever God chooses. As well as faith and a desire to seek God in solitude and silence, the human qualities needed for monastic life include an ability to live in community, flexibility, psychological balance, common sense, and a sense of humour!

Our life is described as “wholly ordered to contemplation”. Several hours every day are specifically allotted to liturgical worship (the Eucharist and the Office) and to lectio divina, a quiet, reflective reading of the Word of God in Scripture, leading to silent prayer and awareness of God. As regards the rest of the time – what is meant by “praying all the time”? Christian prayer can be regarded as a getting-in-touch-with the prayer which the Spirit of God is constantly making in our hearts. Since our baptism God’s Spirit dwells within us, “enabling us to cry out Abba, Father!” (Rom 8:15). Prayer is already happening within us: our job is to quieten down, to let go of everything else, to become conscious of that prayer of the Spirit in the depths of our heart, and to enter into it. The monastic lifestyle aims at facilitating this. Separation from the world, absence of chatter, simple manual work, silence – all these are aids towards awareness of God, and of the prayer of the Spirit within us, not in a forced way, but gently, without strain.

First: there is not, and never was, a vow of silence!  But silence is an important monastic value, helping to maintain a prayerful atmosphere, to foster mindfulness of God and openness to the Holy Spirit.  In the monastery and in our day there are places and times of special silence, valued by all because they help us to have a degree of solitude within the community.  At other times, the emphasis is more on responsible use of speech – avoidance of mere chatter, or gossip, and using speech for building up and maintaining good relationships in the community.  As one grows into the Cistercian vocation, silence – which is not an absence of communion among the sisters, but a source of it – leads to deep joy.   And you will hear a lot of laughter in the monastery!

Dissatisfaction with the values and lifestyle of contemporary society may prompt the search which eventually leads someone to a monastery. But this is not a rejection of all that is good in the world, which is created and sustained by God; and in particular it is not a rejection of people. The opening words of Gaudium et Spes apply in particular to monastics: “The joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way, are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well. Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in their hearts. …Christians cherish a deep solidarity with the human race and its history.” Paradoxically, it is by going aside, by withdrawing from the hurly-burly of our frantic contemporary culture, that we deepen our awareness of all that is genuinely human and grow in our cherishing of the human race. It is particularly in prayer that this cherishing comes to life and finds expression. As for running away from problems, among the biggest difficulties that anybody has to face are the dark places of the heart: one’s own selfishness, immaturity, anger, fear, inability to forgive, sinfulness. And in monastic life, we are forced to face these difficulties head on! The atmosphere of silence, solitude, and reflection provide a climate in which one’s own problems quickly surface and must be dealt with. Anybody who comes to a monastery to get away from the difficulties of life quickly discovers that she has run to the wrong place.

This can be a real stumbling-block for many sincere Christians. Aren’t we wasting our lives in this monastery, when there’s a world out there in such great need? Instead of holding monastic and contemplative orders in such high esteem, why doesn’t the Church tell us to get out there and use our energy and goodwill in the service of the needy? In the first place, monastic life points to the supremacy of “being” over “doing”. What we are is more important than what we do. And somewhere in the life of the Church, there must be a place where this is made manifest. Preaching the Gospel, working for peace and justice, liberating the oppressed, healing the sick… yes! But there is also a need in the Body of Christ, whose members do not all have the same function, for some whose lifestyle points out that, ultimately, action is not everything. There is another dimension. Monastic life points to the supremacy of the transcendent. In the heart of every Christian there exists a two-fold pull – one, a pull towards active service of Christ in the poor and the needy, the other, a pull towards the desert, solitude, seeking God in a contemplative life. Those engaged in active ministry sometimes wish that they could follow the pull towards the desert… but deep down they know that it’s not for them, at least not permanently. Likewise, those in monastic life sometimes wish that we could do something to alleviate the suffering and anguish of the world… but we know, deep-down, that the best thing we can do is to stay here, in faith. It would not be right or good for the Church if the majority of Christians opted for a permanent monastic lifestyle. But the Church needs some to follow that call to the desert, and supports and encourages those who do so. The Church also esteems monastic life because of the value of prayer. All Christians are called to a vital and personal relationship with God, which is prayer, but the structured lifestyle and absence of active apostolate frees monastics for prayer in a special way. Every day we pray in the name of the whole Church, offering to God a sacrifice of praise, and interceding for the needs of the world. We also provide, in our guest-house, a place where people can spend some days in quietness and prayer, being renewed in spirit. And all guests are welcome to join in our liturgical worship. As regards the mission of the Church and the needs of the world, we are not indifferent – far from it! We bear all its concerns in our hearts. But we believe that our life itself – our whole life, not just our prayer – is a hidden source of apostolic fruitfulness for the Church.

In broad terms, yes, we know what’s going on in the world, though we might not be aware of all the minute details of current affairs. We may listen to the news on the radio – some sisters do so every day, some occasionally, others rarely. We also have internet access. Our order is international, and events in other countries sometimes directly affect our Cistercian brothers and sisters. We take a lively interest in their situations. Running a farm and eucharist bread and greeting card industries means that we know all about the difficulties involved in agriculture and running a small business. Above all we are made conscious of the problems of today’s world through the requests for prayer which we receive daily from many anxious people. Marriage problems, unemployment, drug and alcohol addiction, the difficulties of parents raising a family, monetary problems, sickness, distress and anguish of every kind… we hear all about it.

It is true that the women who present themselves as candidates for monastic life today have many different attitudes from women who entered forty or even twenty years ago. They certainly have a lively awareness of contemporary women’s issues. But the core values of monastic life – seeking God, prayer worship, solitude, obedience, humility, simplicity, work, hospitality – remain permanently valid. They are not in themselves oppressive, though at times the expression of some of those values has been interpreted in a way which was (or which seems to us to have been) oppressive. Sacrifice and self-renunciation are required of all who follow Christ – the daily taking up of the cross. But ultimately Gospel values liberate, they do not oppress.

We get up while it is still dark in order to pray at night. Following the example of Christ, we pray during the hours of darkness for and with a world in pain and anguish – which often seems worse at night. We continue our vigilant prayer until daybreak which is a daily reminder of Christ’s victory over sin and death through the triumph of the resurrection.

A distinctive characteristic of Cistercian communities is that we sing the Liturgy of the Hours seven times a day, every day of the year.  A good singing voice is a help, and any musical ability is welcomed.  It is not necessary to be a great soloist, or to have experience of singing in a choir.  The most important thing is that someone can participate in the liturgy in a way that really feeds her soul and is a source of spiritual nourishment for her.  This can certainly be the case even if one does not have a great singing voice.  A basic ability to sing along with others is usually enough.  Someone who is utterly lacking in any musical ability might become frustrated in a Cistercian monastery, but such a complete lack is quite rare.

A persistent attraction to monastic life, a kind of nagging feeling that won’t go away, a sense that something is missing to which the monastery has the answer, a desire to give oneself exclusively to God… all of these may be signs that God is calling a person to monastic life. It is usual for her to be quite uncertain, apprehensive and even dismayed at the prospect! Complete certainty and immediate clarity about the issue are rare. A visit to the monastery, a retreat in the guest-house, talking it over with one of the sisters will help in the discernment process. The candidate also spends a period of time (flexible in length, according to individual circumstances) living with the community before any final decision is made. If you feel that God might be calling you to Cistercian life, why not contact us?