Every religious order in the Church bears a particular gift — a charism — given by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the Body of Christ. The Benedictines profess stability; the Franciscans, evangelical poverty; the Dominicans, preaching. The Anglican Order of Our Lady of Walsingham professes presence.
We take our cue from Mary at the Annunciation, whose fiat — "be it unto me according to thy word" — made her the first tabernacle of the Word made flesh. She bore Christ into her cousin's home, into Bethlehem, into Egypt, into Cana, and finally to the foot of the Cross. Wherever she went, Christ went.
Five marks of our life
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- Prayer
- The Daily Office, said in common where possible and in spirit always, is the spine of the Order's life.
- Sacramental Life
- Frequent Eucharist; regular confession; the holy rhythm of the Church's seasons.
- Hospitality
- Receiving every person as Christ — strangers, the suffering, the searching, the spent.
- Pilgrimage
- An interior journey made visible in an annual pilgrimage, and in the willingness to be sent.
- Service
- Bearing the love of Christ into hospitals, schools, units, and homes — wherever we are placed.