Liturgy and Prayer

St Thomas, in writing about prayer, speaks of 'contemplare et contemplata alliis tradere', passing on to others the fruits of one's own contemplation. A life of prayer is essential to nourish and sustain us in preaching the Gospel.

The celebration of the Liturgy - the Eucharist and the Prayer of the Church - is one principal element of our Dominican life: Laudare, Benedicere, Praedicare (to praise, to bless, to preach). Our preaching can only emerge out of a life deeply rooted in prayer and praise. Taking part in the Liturgy, we stand with Christ, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father, and interceding for the needs of our world.

The Eucharist is the centre of the community Liturgy, the bond of charity and source of apostolic strength. The Prayer of the Church extends the Eucharistic worship of God into the different hours of daily life. Following Dominican tradition, we sing Morning and Evening Prayer in common every day, drawing upon the Order's rich musical and liturgical heritage. Each day we end our community prayer by singing the Salve Regina and the O Lumen, an antiphon to St Dominic.

To foster a deeper relationship with God, sisters spend time apart each day in personal prayer. Our personal prayer lives are nourished by spiritual reading, the prayerful reading of Scripture and private recitation of the Office of Readings, and silent awareness of God's presence. Sisters also make an annual retreat and are encouraged to participate in days of recollection. Often communities will plan days of reflection together, spending time sharing their faith stories with one another.

Devotion to Mary the Mother of God is integral to our Dominican tradition. Legend attributes the development of the Rosary to St Dominic: he is often portrayed (sometimes with St Catherine) kneeling to receive the Rosary from Our Lady. We are encouraged to pray the Rosary to foster our life-long meditation on the Gospel. Our devotion to St Dominic, St Catherine, and other saints of our Order is most clearly manifest in joyfully celebrating their feasts in the Liturgy.

It was said of St Dominic that he 'spent the night speaking to God and the day speaking of God', and he exhorted his brethren to do the same. Prayer and study were at the heart of Dominic's life, nourishing one another. So too, they are at the heart of our lives, both as individuals and members of a community.

'In the community in Rome we have an international group, including sisters from around the world. In uniting this diverse group, the liturgy is a very important component. We use different types of music in praying the Divine Office, using Dominican chant and hymns where possible. On Saturday evenings we have a psalm or hymn in the mother tongue of one of the sisters from a non-English speaking country, to allow the richness of her culture to contribute to our liturgical life. One of the sisters preaches at Vespers on the readings of the following day. We try to live out on a basic level the aspect of liturgical preaching which is so important for the Order as a whole.'

"Prayer is the centre of our lives, deepening our awareness of the presence of God and leading us to bring to others an awareness of this presence."   (Constitutions 25)

Community prayer, St Mary's Convent,

Boxmoor

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