"We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed through transformation. This means we are to become vessels of God´s compassionate love for others. "
St. Clare of Assisi
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the heart of our community and of our lives as adorers. Drawn by love of the Most Holy Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood, we dedicate our entire lives to Eucharistic adoration.
In the Eucharist Jesus offers perfect worship to the Father; our adoration unites us with Him in His sacrifice of praise. In the name of the Church we extend throughout the day and night the adoration offered at Mass, as a public witness of faith and love, on behalf of all the people of God. From Eucharistiae sacramentum, (On Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery Outside Mass, S.C.D.W., June 21, 1973), Ch. II, nn. 79, 80; Second Version of the Letter to the Faithful, n. 19.
Our Eucharistic adoration hour is a moment rich in blessing and favors the unfolding of grace. Created to behold the Lord face to face, we now worship His Sacramental Presence with deep and reverent faith, and are transformed into God's very image, from glory to glory. This grace enables us to discover Him shining through all things, and to reflect the beauty of His love. 2 Cor. 3: 18; Admonitions, n. 1, sens. 19-21; Letter to the Entire Order, nn. 12, 13; Legend of St. Clare by Celano, (The Legend and Writings of St. Clare of Assisi, ed. by Ignatius Brady, OFM., The Franciscan Institute, St. Bonaventure, NY 1953), n. 20.
Eucharistic
Marian
In living out our contemplative call we look to Mary, as Francis and Clare urge us to do, for in her very being she expresses the essence of our contemplative way. By welcoming the Word into her heart, Mary became the bearer of Life for the entire world. Sharing in her openness and surrender, and learning from her to nurture the Word in silence and trust, we too can become bearers of grace. III Letter to Bl. Agnes, nn. 18, 19, 24-26; Venite Seorsum, Sec. IV; Lumen Gentium, nn. 56, 63, 65.
Contemplative
The call to a life of contemplation is a precious gift of the Holy Spirit to us and to the Church. This call to taste the hidden sweetness which God reserves for those who love Him, draws us deeply into the mystery of Jesus and His redeeming work. Essential Elements (Essential Elements in the Church's Teaching on Religious Life as Applied to Institutes Dedicated to Works of the Apostolate, S.C.R.S.I., May 31, 1983), Part II, n. 23; Venite Seorsum, (Instruction on the Contemplative Life of Nuns, S.C.R.S.I., Aug. 15, 1969), Sec.I; Vatican Council II, Concilar and Post Concilar Documents, (ed. Austin Flannery, OP, Collegeville, MN, Liturgical Press, 1980), p.657; III Letter to Bl. Agnes, nn. 13, 14.
[T]he Holy Spirit led Francis to choose for himself and his followers a way of life that closely unite prayer with the proclaiming of salvation...It is our role to support and make fruitful the apostolic activity of the Brotherhood and of the whole Church, by our life of prayer and penance. Venite Seorsum, Secs. I, III.
The sisters have the responsibility of continually sustaining with prayer and sacrifice the Church and the whole world, especially the Holy Father, all clergy and religious, civil servants, the missions and works of the Church, parents, relatives, benefactors, all the faithful departed, and the daily intentions recommended to them.
Franciscan
[God's] love empowers us to express in our lives that vision which first took form in the heart of Mother Marie Claire Bouillevaux who united the Franciscan form of Gospel living with special dedication to Eucharistic adoration in a spirit of thanksgiving.
It was revealed to our father St. Francis that he was to model his life on the Gospel. The form of life he established for St. Clare and the Poor Sisters was to observe the holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience, without anything of one's own, and in chastity. As daughters of the church and of the Franciscan family, we will always strive to deepen our understanding of the Gospel and to follow it as our supreme norm. Like Mary we, we will continually carry the words of salvation in our hearts, so that our lives may be formed by them and we may grow into Christ. Rule of St. Clare, (Francis and Clare - The Complete Works, trans. & ed. Regis J. Armstrong, Ignatius Brady Paulist Press, NY, 1982, p. 211), Ch. 1, n. 1.
Francis and Clare teach us to walk joyfully in the footsteps of the poor and humble Jesus so that through Him we may be led in the Holy Spirit to the Father. We cherish, as our founders did, the mysteries of the humanity of the Lord Jesus, especially His birth and passion, and the gift of Himself in the Eucharist, which show forth in a wonderful way the love and humility of our Savior.
Testament of St. Clare, n. 10; Testament of St. Francis, n. 10; Process of Canonization of St. Clare, (St. Clare of Assisi, Nesta de Robeck, Chicago, Franciscan Herald Press, 1981, p. 180ff), Wit. XIV, n. 9.