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The Christian apostolate is an integral part of the Franciscan vocation. Whoever wishes to follow
in the footsteps of Christ must, like Holy Father St. Francis, give himself to the service of souls.
Moreover, through our religious profession we are united in a special way with the Church and Her
mission according to our call and charism.
The first obligation of our religious consecration is to give honor, glory and adoration to God and
to make reparation to Him for the many offenses of mankind against His Love. The obligation to live
our charism consists in our faithful and enduring witness to the existence of God and to His real and
living Presence in an increasingly pagan and atheistic world. Flowing from this charism, then, the
Sisters of our Community gladly wear a traditional religious habit and live authentic religious life
as defined for centuries by the Roman Catholic Church. In our dress and lifestyle, we desire to
become as "walking billboards" shouting to all whom will see us that "God Is." By this "silent"
witness we seek to call all to come to know Him and to come into relationship with Him so as to love
and adore Him. In this manner of witness, we strive to be like our Holy Father Francis who admonished
his friars, "Preach the Gospel always and, if necessary, use words." It is through our silent witness
that we desire to call others to an awareness of the primacy of spiritual realities in human life and
the need to actively seek God.
Recognizing that the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus is the true home of those especially called by Christ
for service in His Church, it is our special desire to serve those closest to His Eucharistic Heart.
To this end, we have as a special apostolic work to pray for priests and religious by name during our
daily Morning and Evening Office before the Blessed Sacrament. It is our daily prayer that those
priests and religious still faithful to their call will grow in holiness and persevere in faithfulness
to their vows until their birth into eternal life. For those priests and religious who have grown
indifferent to their vows or even hostile to what Holy Mother Church asks of Her priests and religious
and whose infidelity so wounds and saddens the Heart of Christ, we pray for their conversion and return
to faithfulness. In this work, we act as Christ who once said that, "My mission is . . . to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel" (Mt. 15:24). Who are more "lost" than those specially chosen ones who
have strayed from the path of fidelity to Our Lord and His Church?
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As religious in this Community, we also strive to make our Lord "known, loved and adored" by the whole
People of God so that they may grow into a deeper faith in God and love for Him and His Church. This
we do through our teaching of the orthodox Roman Catholic faith. Our Sisters serve as catechists in
Religious Education (CCD) programs and provide Sacrament preparation to individuals with special needs.
We further promote the spiritual life of individuals and of the diocese by offering a Marian Movement
of Priest (MMP) Rosary Cenacle and other seasonal programs of a spiritual nature (e.g. Advent and Lenten
Retreats) in our Convent. Through our Franciscan Lay Associates group, we seek to promote Franciscan
spirituality among the laity and to promote a larger Franciscan presence in the diocese.
We hold as a special privilege our work of fostering Eucharistic devotion among the faithful. And so
our Sisters serve on parish Adoration Committees, take adoration hours in parish adoration chapels,
give Eucharistic centered teachings and retreats, and do all that we are able to preserve the sacredness
of Eucharistic worship in our own chapel and in our diocesan churches. We deem it a special privilege
to participate in the Youth 2000 Eucharistic Retreats offered in our diocese each year.
Often our teaching about God and His love for His children takes the form of visiting the homebound
and hospitalized and other works of pastoral care and our Community provides a Catholic-centered
counseling and spiritual direction ministry to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
Finally, we enjoy promoting Church vocations especially among the young and we have a special prayer
ministry for our diocesan seminarians. It is our hope that the joyfully lived consecrated life may
cause young men and women to view it as a viable and personally gratifying vocational choice and thereby
lead to an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.
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