A Day in the Life“O Most Holy Trinity, I adore You profoundly. I offer You all my thoughts, words, and deeds, all my joys and sufferings of this day, all I have and all I am, in union with Jesus’ Sacrifice on the Cross, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
~from the Children of Mary Morning Offering
Our life as semi-apostolic religious means we recognize that “apostolic action is always to proceed from an intimate union with God and it is to confirm and foster that union” (Canon 675 §2).
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the summit of our day, the perfect prayer in which we unite ourselves to Jesus on the Cross as an offering, one with Him, to the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. Aware that He is Love and longs for our love and to be united with us, we seek the most intimate union with God possible. The greatest union with God possible on earth is when we receive Jesus, God Incarnate, in Holy Communion. Holy Communion is “the goal of our life…” (St. Peter Julian Eymard).
We daily strive to grow in the love of God and of one another through our common life of prayer (including the chanting of the Divine Office); our times of private Eucharistic Adoration; our monastic hospitality, welcoming whomever the Lord will send to us; our apostolic missions; and daily times of work, study, and fraternal recreation.
Living under the mantle of Our Lady, heart in Heart with her, we beg for the grace to make our lives a continuous act of love, striving to make our actions acts of love by radiating Christ and bringing light and joy into the lives of all we meet.
A typical day in the life of a Sister of the Children of Mary
6:00 a.m.
Rising from sleep, the Sisters pray, “All for the Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, all for the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, in union with St. Joseph!”
Private recitation of the Angelus and Morning Offering
Dress; eat breakfast in Sacred Silence
8:15 a.m.
Joining in the prayer of the Universal Church, we pray the Office of Readings followed by the chanting of Morning Prayer and the Holy Rosary
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
The Blessed Sacrament is exposed following the Mass, during which time we offer our thanksgiving, including the recitation of the Fatima prayers of Reparation
7:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Sisters attend to their work and charges (including sacristy work; cleaning, laundry, cooking, sewing; computer work; maintenance of our retreat houses; caring for our animals).
There will be 1/2 hour of silent adoration for each Sister between now and Evening Prayer.
Simple silence is observed throughout the day (speaking when necessary, always letting charity be the rule).
11:15 a.m.
Dinner, during which time the Sisters eat while listening to a spiritual reading or a tape intended to nourish our souls as we nourish our bodies (except on Fridays, which is a day of fasting on bread and water for priests).
1:00 p.m.
Class/study time: focusing on formation in religious life and our charism, catechesis, Church doctrines and encyclicals, and Sacred Scripture, the Sisters seek to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of Holy Mother Church and the great dignity of their call as Christians and religious.
The Sisters utilize Fr. John Hardon’s Basic Catechism Course, as well as online courses through the Mandala Apostolate (a branch of the Institute of Catholic Culture)
Each Sister has a Holy Hour of adoration in the night, keeping watch with Our Lord in a spirit of love and reparation, begging for mercy for the whole world.
Nocturnal Adoration
12:00 p.m.
The Angelus
Clean up kitchen from dinner, during which time recreative talking is allowed
12:40 p.m.
Chanting of Day Prayer
2:00 p.m.
Holy Leisure: recognizing that our work does not define us; that God desires us to rejoice in Him as He rejoices in us, this is a time to calmly rest in the Lord, to bring to mind His goodness, to be silently receptive of His providential Love.
6:00 AM
Rising from sleep, the Sisters pray, “All for the Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, all for the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, in union with St. Joseph!”
Private recitation of the Angelus and Morning Offering
Dress; eat breakfast in Sacred Silence
7:00 AM
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the source and summit of our day
The Blessed Sacrament is exposed following the Mass, during which time we offer our thanksgiving, including the recitation of the Fatima prayers of Reparation
8:15 AM
Joining in the prayer of the Universal Church, we pray the Office of Readings followed by the chanting of Morning Prayer and the Holy Rosary
10:00 AM
Sisters attend to their work and charges (including sacristy work; cleaning, laundry, cooking, sewing; computer work; maintenance of our retreat houses; caring for our animals).
There will be 1/2 hour of silent adoration for each Sister between now and Evening Prayer.
Simple silence is observed throughout the day (speaking when necessary, always letting charity be the rule).
11:15 AM
Dinner, during which time the Sisters eat while listening to a spiritual reading or a tape intended to nourish our souls as we nourish our bodies (except on Fridays, which is a day of fasting on bread and water for priests).
12:00 PM
The Angelus
Clean up kitchen from dinner, during which time recreative talking is allowed
12:40 PM
Chanting of Day Prayer
1:00 PM
Class/study time: focusing on formation in religious life and our charism, catechesis, Church doctrines and encyclicals, and Sacred Scripture, the Sisters seek to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of Holy Mother Church and the great dignity of their call as Christians and religious.
The Sisters utilize Fr. John Hardon’s Basic Catechism Course, as well as online courses through the Mandala Apostolate (a branch of the Institute of Catholic Culture)
2:00 PM
Holy Leisure: recognizing that our work does not define us; that God desires us to rejoice in Him as He rejoices in us, this is a time to calmly rest in the Lord, to bring to mind His goodness, to be silently receptive of His providential Love.
3:00 PM
Divine Mercy Chaplet, followed by work time
5:00 PM
Chanting of Evening Prayer
5:30 PM
Simple evening repast eaten in solitude
Quiet time spent in spiritual reading or personal work
6:00 PM
Private recitation of the Angelus
6:30 PM
Recreation: “Recreation is vitally important to each Sister’s spiritual growth. It is a time to exercise charity and humility towards her Sisters. ‘If we say we love God Whom we do not see and do not love the neighbor we can see, we are a liar' (1 Jn 4:20). Let us go to recreation not only for our own personal pleasure, but most importantly to bring joy to the other Sisters.” ~Children of Mary, Rule of Life
7:30 PM
Chanting of Night Prayer, entrusting ourselves, the world and the day’s labors into the hands of Our Lord, begging Him that “the work we have done today may bear fruit in eternal life” and that He may grant us “a quiet night to rest” in Him.
8:00 PM
Spiritual reading / personal time
Sisters may retire any time as needed
Nocturnal adoration hours begin
9:00 PM
Sacred silence: This silence is not a void, an emptiness, but a time of turning our hearts to God alone and conversing with Him.
9:30 PM
Lights out for all
Think God may be calling you to Religious Life?
If you are interested in speaking with one of the Sisters about Religious Life or would like to visit Children of Mary, please email our vocation director at childrenofmarysisters@gmail.com with your name, phone/address, and a little bit about yourself!