The
community of the Little Ones of Jesus Crucified is able to welcome
one to four persons for retreat at the community Dwelling. A retreat
can be scheduled for as brief as two days or up to a month. Guests
are included in all the elements of the daily lifestyle of the community.
Arrangements can be made for assistance in vocation discernment, conferences
on contemplative spirituality, and receiving the Sacrament of Penance.
Contact the community for additional information, reservations, transportation,
directions, and contributions for retreats. We strive to respond to
the teaching of the Rule of St. Benedict that “all guests are
to be received as Christ” by sharing with you what we have received
from the Lord.
Our special form of prayer for your intentions
is a Nine-Hour Novena which is prayed in our chapel by a member of
the community. You may request the patron you prefer for the novena
prayers. If no patron is stated, the Divine Mercy Chaplet will be prayed
at the nine hourly increments. Your intentions are remembered at the
First Friday Mass in our chapel and also at the monthly Mass offered
at the nearby Trappist monastery. You may submit your intentions, and
a donation if possible, to the address listed at the bottom of each
page.
1. to respond to the will of the Father by seeking holiness
of life;
2. to establish a Catholic community with a contemplative
dimension for persons in any of the
vocational states of life in the Church;
3. to offer the charity of unceasing prayer for the world in
union with Jesus Crucified;
4. to give hospitality to those attracted by the Holy Spirit to
our particular expression of devotion to Jesus Crucified;
5. to help those in discernment for a religious vocation.
The Little Ones of Jesus Crucified seek the meaning of life, love and suffering by striving to respond to the love of Jesus Crucified. Through this exchange of love we begin to enter into the mystery of suffering and participation in the
work of the Holy Cross.
in John 19:25-27:
“Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother,
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved He said to
His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son.’
Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother’.”
The foundation of the interior vocation is expressed by St. Paul in his
letters: II Corinthians 4:10:
“Continually we carry about in our bodies
the dying of Jesus, so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may also be revealed.”
and
Colossians 1: 24-25: “Even now I find my joy in the suffering I endure
for you. In my flesh I fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for
the sake of His body, the Church.”
St. Benedict - The primary text from the Rule that expresses the
vocation of the Little Ones is the last verse of the Prologue:
”...we shall through patience share in the sufferings of Christ
that we may deserve also to share in His kingdom. Amen”
St. Thérèse of Lisieux - Her Act of Oblation to Merciful Love is
a significant aspect of our prayer life. A sentence from
the Oblation expressing the community spirituality is:
“Remain in me as in a tabernacle; never separate Yourself from Your little victim.”
St. Rafael Arnáiz - From the journal this Cistercian Oblate Brother
we see a reflection of one of our views of life:
“I have so many motives for thanking God for my vocation…
my vocation is based on seeking God in all that is ordinary and simple.”
