Understanding the Vows
Vowed life is one of the ways we seek God. Through the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, we dedicate ourselves to life-long listening and loving in a spirit of openness and simplicity.
Our vows are a free and deliberate promise made to God in the presence of the Church, our Sisters, family, and friends.
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The Vow of Poverty: The vow of poverty is not about living in a
state of poverty, it’s about making a choice as Sisters not to clutter our
lives with material things. Material possessions are good in themselves,
however they can stifle the freedom required to make a radical response to the
Gospel and be available as disciples of Jesus. The vow of poverty invites us to
trust fully in God’s providence and to live simply, both individually and in
community, sharing what we have with each other and those in need.
- The Vow of Chastity: Celibate Chastity (the state of being unmarried
or not in a sexual relationship) makes sense only when it is grounded in the
spiritual life and expressed as a gift to God through the Church and to the
world. Because human relationships are at the heart of a Sister’s life, we are
called to be in relationship with those we live with and minister to, in an
intimate and non-sexual way. In accepting God’s invitation to live the
consecrated life, we gradually become aware that celibate chastity is about
loving and being life-giving. To choose celibate chastity as a way of life is
to make a choice to love generously, widely and inclusively. As in all mature,
loving relationships, the focus is on being other-centered rather than
self-centered, to be selfless rather than self-focused.
- The Vow of Obedience: As Sisters, our love for God and desire to
listen attentively to where God is calling us involves listening and dialogue
with our Sisters in community and our elected leaders. Our saying “Yes”, is an
act of obedience to freely put our lives and talents at the service of the congregation,
its mission, and the people of
God. Taking a vow of obedience is an act of faith we make
in saying “Yes” to allowing God’s grace to be made more present through us.