Our Vows
Three vows help us live out our Emmaus commitment under the monastic discipline of the Rule of St. Benedict:

Vow of Stability
By our vow of stability, we commit ourselves to an ongoing search for God and the realization of God’s love through a lifelong fidelity to this monastery (Rule of St. Benedict, Ch. 58). In the words of Jesus, we discover the faithful love that is the essence of this vow: “Remain in my love as I remain in my Father’s love” (Jn. 15: 9,10). We pledge to journey together as sisters in steadfast perseverance of our inner journey through the deaths and resurrections of that sojourn.

Vow of Conversion of Life
By our vow of conversion of life, we promise to strive for holiness as monastic, contemplative women through the daily discipline of renouncing self-will in order to put on the mind of Christ. This includes a commitment to celibate chastity and to poverty. Our Carmelite inheritance also teaches us about growth in prayer as the articulation of conversion in the contemplative experience.

Vow of Obedience
By our vow of obedience, we pledge ourselves to a listening, responsive love (Rule of St. Benedict, Ch. 5). With the Gospel as our guide, in obedience to God’s will as this is mediated through the Church, The Rule of Saint Benedict, St. Teresa’s counsels on contemplative prayer, our community constitution, our prioress and one another, we strive to say, with Jesus: “Into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 22:46)

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