As women dedicated to a life of contemplative prayer lived in community, we find our primary mission rooted in the gospel account of Mary's visitation to Elizabeth. Like Mary, we nurture Christ in our hearts through contemplation, while her example of selfless giving and openness to the needs of others inspires our work with those whom we serve in our educational ministries, our retreat programs, and our presence with those who seek our prayerful support. In all our interactions we experience the reciprocal enrichment so beautifully mirrored in the exchange between Mary and Elizabeth.

Our mission extends beyond our monastery. In response to the exhortation of the Second Vatican Council to contemplatives, we live in spirit at the very heart of the world; we embrace the joys, sorrows, aspirations, and hopes of all people as our own. In the solitude of prayer, we hope to be unceasingly present to the world and its crying needs. To this end we dedicate ourselves to praying for peace, justice, respect for human rights, and an end to violence.

Within our monasteries, we have committed ourselves to making our communities centers of gentleness as a countercultural statement to the violence which is so prevalent in our world today. Our motto, "Live Jesus" impels us to imitate the gentleness and humility of the heart of Christ and to open ourselves to the movements of the Spirit in our lives, always in a spirit of total giving in response to the Father's will.

In this articulation of our mission we see a rootedness in the gospel, a grounding in contemplative prayer, and a gracious desire to share the beauty of our spirituality with all who wish to participate in our prayer, community life, and ministry. This is our prophetic call as we enter a new millennium.