Seeking God in Silence and Joy
Every vocation begins with a simple and profound question:
Lord, what do you want me to do?
The contemplative nuns of the Order of Preachers are the oldest branch of the Dominican family. Founded by St. Dominic in 1206 at the Monastery of Notre-Dame de Prouille in southern France, the nuns were established even before the friars and were associated from the beginning with Dominic’s mission of preaching the Gospel for the salvation of souls.
— fr. Anicetus Fernandez, Master of the Order
The life of the Dominican nuns is centered on seeking God through prayer, sacred study, silence and contemplative monastic life. Faithful to the Rule of St. Augustine and the Constitutions, they live within the enclosure of the monastery, devoted especially to the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours, carrying the Church and the world continually in prayer. As their Constitutions state, “In silence and stillness they earnestly seek the face of the Lord.”
Their contemplative vocation is inseparable from the preaching mission of the Order. St. Dominic understood that preaching bears fruit only when sustained by prayer, contemplation and holiness of life.
“Saint Dominic intended the nuns of the Order to dedicate themselves wholly, in the contemplative religious life, to that communion with God which nourishes the apostolic life of the brothers and of the other branches of the Dominican family, the nuns providing a witness of prayer, silence and penance.” (LCO 142)
Persevering in prayer with Mary the Mother of Jesus, they ardently long for the fullness of the Holy Spirit, so that with unveiled face they may reflect the glory of the Lord and be transformed into his image from splendor to splendor by the Spirit of the Lord. (Fundamental Constitutions of the Nuns, IV)
The blessed Dominic recommended some form of
study to the first nuns as an authentic observance of the
Order. It not only nourishes contemplation, but also
removes the impediments which arise through
ignorance and informs the practical judgment. (LCM, 100)
More and more impelled by the love of Christ, that all-embracing divine friendship, they should become all things to all. In the common life of the religious family to which they are united in a closer bond through chastity, they should cultivate sisterly affection and serene friendship. (LCM, 26)
The nuns seek God by observing the norms of the purely contemplative life, by maintaining their withdrawal from the world by enclosure and silence… (Fundamental Constitutions of the Nuns, V)
In the Augustinian ideal, you are called, faithful to the Rule, to imitate in fraternal communion the life of the first Christian community (cf. Regula 1, 1-3). The Doctor gratiae said: “The Lord grant that you may observe all these precepts in a spirit of charity as lovers of spiritual beauty, giving forth the good odour of Christ in the holiness of your lives” (cf. 2 Cor 2:15)” (Regula 8:1). To spread the good scent of God throughout the world, then, strive to love one another with sincere affection, as sisters, and to carry in your hearts, in secret, every man and woman in this world, to present them to the Father in your prayers. Without any fanfare, be attentive and caring towards one another and be a model of care for all, wherever the need arises and circumstances permit. In a society so focused on outward appearances, where people sometimes do not hesitate to violate the respect of others and their feelings in pursuit of a spotlight and applause, may your example of silent and hidden love help others to rediscover the value of daily and discreet charity, focused on the substance of loving one another and free from the slavery of appearances.
— Fundamental Constitution of the Nuns, I
Throughout the centuries, Dominican monasteries spread across Europe and eventually throughout the world. Today the nuns are present on every continent, living the same Dominican contemplative tradition in diverse cultures and languages.
Although each monastery is autonomous, the nuns are united by a common Rule and Constitutions and by their bond with the Master of the Order, a unique feature among contemplative orders of women. This communion expresses their shared participation in the life and mission of the Order of Preachers.
The monastery remains a place of prayer at the heart of the Church. Today, there are approximately 2,000 Dominican contemplative nuns living in 178 monasteries across 46 countries worldwide.
As Dominicans, the prayer of the nuns is profoundly connected to study, as well as the apostolic mission of the Order. Nourishing their union with Christ through contemplation and study of sacred truth in community, the nuns participate in and sustain the Order’s mission of preaching the Gospel throughout the world.
Sustained by the communal observance of silence and enclosure, Dominican nuns bear witness that God alone is sufficient and that the contemplation of divine truth is already a foretaste of eternal life. Through lives hidden with Christ, they sustain the preaching mission of the Church by contemplating God’s Word and offering constant intercession, sacrifice and praise, carrying before God the needs of the world and the salvation of souls.
“The nuns, while commissioned by God primarily for prayer, are not for that reason excluded from the ministry of the word (cf. Venite Seorsum, V). For they listen to the word, celebrate it and keep it in their hearts (cf. Lk. 2:18), and in this way proclaim the Gospel of God by the example of their life.”
Fundamental Constitutions of the Nuns, III
