Prayer Life

As men called to a way of life only made possible by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we know that prayer is the very heart of our way of life.  Our Constitutions remind us, "In their vocation to be disciples of Jesus Christ and true sons of Saint Francis, the friars strive both individually and communally to become authentic men of prayer." Above all else, may we be known as authentic men of prayer.

The friars' are deeply committed to communal prayer.  Five times a day we come together to pray the Liturgy of the Hours with the Church and on behalf of the world.  Each day, the Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated communally.  We confess that "the celebration of the Eucharist is the ultimate expression of the friars' faith and unity in Christ." Every evening, the friars return again to the chapel for a communal hour of Eucharistic adoration.  In our chapel we receive the grace which makes our way of life possible, as Pope John Paul II wrote in Vita Consecrata, "The call to holiness is accepted and can be cultivated only in the silence of adoration, before the infinite transcendence of God."

Each individual friar's prayer life is not limited to these times of communal prayer.  Each morning the friars have an hour for personal prayer, contemplation, and lectio divina.  Other areas of personal prayer and spiritual nourishment are to be found in spiritual reading, a regular examination of conscience, frequent confessions, and spiritual direction.  As faithful followers of Jesus and St. Francis, each friar is to honor Our Lady in a particular and privileged way.  Along with a commitment to pray the Rosary each day, all friars are consecrated to Our Lady under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of our community.

Woven into the rhythm of our lives are periods of time set apart for greater recollection and prayer.  Our Constitutions state, "One day a week, each local fraternity devotes itself to a more conscious spirit of quite and recollection.  This day takes precedence over the ordinary demands of the apostolate."  Also, each friar takes a day for "hermitage" or "solitude."  A hermitage is a day of personal retreat and more profound quiet and stillness.  In addition to the prayer day and weekly hermitage, "Twice a year, each friar is to take an extended time for retreat lasting at least five days."