Contemplative communities throughout Spain will open their monasteries next Saturday, March 7, to invite the faithful to participate in the recitation of Vespers, the prayer with which the Church concludes the day. The initiative seeks to bring monastic life closer to Christians and unite prayer for the needs of the world in the full season of Lent.
The contemplative communities invite those who wish to share with them the Church’s evening prayer. Each monastery will celebrate vespers at the usual time of its community, so those interested can check the specific schedules through the foundation’s website.
The initiative thus aims to offer an opportunity for the faithful to get to know contemplative life up close and participate in the liturgy that structures the day of cloistered nuns and monks.
Monasteries, privileged places for prayer
From the Fundación DeClausura, they highlight that monasteries continue to be authentic schools of prayer, where Christian life is lived with special intensity through liturgy and contemplation.
Opening their doors during this day seeks to facilitate for many faithful the encounter with God through the witness of those who have consecrated their lives to prayer and silence.
The initiative is also situated in the context of the Lenten season, when the Church invites Christians to renew their relationship with God and rediscover the value of prayer in everyday life.
The richness of contemplative life in Spain
The call brings together communities belonging to numerous contemplative religious families present in Spain, which reflects the diversity and richness of the monastic tradition in the Church.
Agustinas, Benedictines and Benedictines, Carmelites, Poor Clares, Cistercians, Dominicans, Franciscans, Mercedarians, or Trinitarians are some of the orders that will participate in this initiative.
For those who attend, it will be an opportunity to participate in the Church’s prayer at the end of the day and to share for a moment the spiritual rhythm that sustains monastic life.
You can check the schedules and locations here
Source: El Debate / Fundación DeClausura