In a Dominican contemplative community we find unity in our common basic orientation toward listening to God and living by the Word. In silence we can seek God unceasingly. The search is never anything but a response. The Word who calls us is the Word who created us and who wills to create us anew. For this reason, we seek to foster a true Christian understanding and appreciation of silence so that “the word of God may dwell abundantly in the monastery” (LCM 6.II).
We know we need to stop the incessant flow of chatter, curb the wandering mind, and hold our hearts still for the Lord’s visitation. The practice of silence is the essential guardian of all observance. It is conducive to prayerfulness and study. In the monastery and in our hearts it provides the atmosphere which allows us to hold in our memories unceasingly the mystery of salvation.
As women of the Word, we need a profound quiet in order to listen carefully, to hear God as He speaks to us in the Scriptures, in the sacraments, and in one another. Silence fosters a profound discipline not only of speech, but of action as well. It teaches us to be gentle, respectful, and caring with everything. Silence is a gift we give to one another.