W284 N404 Cherry Lane -
Waukesha, WI 53188
vocation@schsrsmary.org | (262) 522-4200
Our Way of Life: A Life of Prayer
To be called to be a Schoenstatt Sister of Mary - what does that mean? It is a religious calling - a calling to live a life of prayer after the example of Mary, the great woman of prayer.
As Sisters of Mary our style of life in general is one that we call contemplative/active. That means that our daily schedule includes a combination of prayer and active apostolic work. But more importantly, it means that we receive the graces and strength for our daily apostolic tasks from our spirit of prayer and specific times of prayer. Our Schoenstatt shrine is the favorite place of every Sister of Mary where our life of prayer is nourished and strengthened.
It is essential for us as a community to foster an atmosphere of prayer in our houses. We do this not only through our prayer times, but also by observing periods of silence throughout the day. Amid the demands of our work and apostolate, our founder urged us to foster ’the cloister of the heart,’ always remembering that our heart is a shrine where God and our Blessed Mother constantly wait for an encounter of love. By cultivating an uplifting atmosphere—either through our speaking or our silence—we help to make such encounters with the divine a frequent reality for one another.
Our daily prayers include community prayers and times of individual prayer. Our day begins with our community morning prayer followed by a half hour of private meditation. This is followed by holy Mass, which is the center and summit of our day. Our founder often reminded us to live not just from day to day, but “from holy Mass to holy Mass,’ and to make our entire day ’a constant offertory, consecration, and communion.’ In the afternoon we have a daily devotion together before Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament, and a time of spiritual reading, which leads us deeper into the spirituality of Schoenstatt and our life of faith. In our shrines we also have adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Each day concludes with our evening prayer, which we also pray together. These times of silence and interiority are essential to us and to our task of serving others.
We are surrounded by the world, its values and goods. What is so desperately needed today are people who radiate the features of God, who represent God, who bring to our world a “taste of heaven,” an experience of heaven, who make God and Mary present and tangible for them. We cannot give to others what we do not possess, and if our mission is to give to others an experience of God’s presence, then we must seek his presence in our own lives.