De la prière avant le dîner
Living in the Rhythm of Prayer
The children are taught to maintain a spirit of prayer and silence that aligns their daily activities with the liturgical hours of the monastery.
When Sext is rung, one of them—namely the sister on weekly duty—kneels in the middle of the room to help them renew their attention to God, so that they may join in spirit in that hour of the office that is about to be said in the choir.1 Although silence is kept among the little sisters all day long, except during the conference times, there are nonetheless two special times when it is kept even more carefully. The first is the morning and evening silence I've already mentioned, and the second is during the Office and the Masses said in the monastery when the little sisters aren't present.2 They must have their tasks organized and everything they need ready beforehand, so that during these two times they don't have to ask their mistresses about their work or request permission if it can be avoided; this allows them to keep company with God and gives their mistresses time to say their Office.3 At other times, they may ask for what they need more freely.4 If one of their exercises—such as singing or reciting their catechism—falls during an hour of the Office, they don't drop it; but what we ask of them is that the exercise be done with more silence than usual, and that the little prayer always be said at the beginning of each Office recited in choir when they would have to interrupt the exercise they've begun. That helps them remember to refocus their attention on God.
The Daily Examination of Conscience
The children gather for a communal examination of conscience to seek God's pardon and grace for their daily faults.
At eleven o'clock, they all perform their examination together after reciting the Confiteor up to the mea culpa. Sometimes, during the evening and morning examination, they are reminded to examine themselves and ask God's pardon for some fault one believes they would not have noticed, and that would have been committed in front of everyone, so as to gently train them to examine themselves well. At the end of the examination, they all say the rest of the Confiteor together out loud; and then the week officer asks God's pardon for the faults committed, and the grace to make better use of the rest of the day.5
Personal Devotion and Liturgical Participation
Older children are granted the privilege of reciting specific liturgical hours privately to foster their personal piety.
At the end of the examination, some of them say their Sext privately: this is allowed for the older girls, in whom enough piety is recognized for them to carry out the office well. They are permitted to pray the hours from Lauds through Compline.6
Read the original Latin
Quand on sonne sexte, une d'elles, savoir la semainière, se met à genoux au milieu de la chambre, pour leur faire renouveler leur attention à Dieu, afin qu'elles assistent en esprit à cette heure d'office qui se va dire au chœur.
Encore que toute la journée le silence se garde parmi les petites sœurs, hors le temps des conférences, il y a néanmoins deux temps particuliers où il est encore plus exactement gardé. Le premier est celui du soir et du matin, dont j'ai déjà parlé, et le second est celui de pendant l'office et les messes qui se disent dans le monastère, lorsqu'elles n'y assistent pas. Elles doivent avoir mis ordre et pourvu à ce qu'elles ont de besoin, pour, pendant ces deux temps, n'avoir rien à demander, à leurs maîtresses de ce qui regarde leur ouvrage, ni même aucune permission, si cela se peut, afin de s'entretenir avec Dieu, et aussi pour donner le temps à leurs maîtresses de dire leur office. Aux autres temps, elles peuvent demander ce qu'elles ont besoin avec plus d'étendue.
Si un de leurs exercices, comme le chant ou la répétition de leur catéchisme, arrive pendant une heure d'office, on ne le quitte pas; mais ce que nous leur demandons, c'est que cet exercice soit fait avec plus de silence qu'à l'ordinaire, et que la petite prière se dise toujours au commencement de chaque office que l'on dit au chœur, quand il faudrait interrompre l'exercice que l'on commence. Cela fait ressouvenir de se renouveler dans l'attention à Dieu.
A onze heures, elles font l'examen toutes ensemble, après avoir dit Confiteor jusqu'à mea culpa.
Quelquefois, pendant l'examen du soir et du matin, on les fait ressouvenir d'examiner, et demander pardon à Dieu, de quelque faute que l'on croit qu'elles n'auraient pas remarquée, et qui aurait été commise devant toutes, pour les accoutumer doucement à se bien examiner.
A la fin de l'examen, elles disent toutes ensemble le reste du Confiteor tout haut; et puis la semainière demande pardon à Dieu des fautes commises, et la grâce de mieux employer le reste de la journée.
A la fin de l'examen, quelques-unes disent leur sexte en particulier : on le permet aux plus grandes, à qui on reconnaît assez de piété pour se bien acquitter de l'office. On leur permet de dire depuis Laudes jusques à complies.
Notes
- 1 ↩semainière: the sister assigned weekly duties (hebdomadarian / week-duty sister), not a general 'weekly visitor'.
- 2 ↩« celui de pendant l'office » is slightly awkward French; rendered as the stricter silence observed during the Divine Office and Masses when the girls are not attending them.
- 3 ↩« s'entretenir avec Dieu » rendered as “keep company with God,” preserving the sense of familiar converse/recollection rather than formal petition alone.
- 4 ↩« avec plus d'étendue » = with greater latitude/scope; rendered “more freely” for natural modern English.
- 5 ↩Institutional term for the girl assigned weekly communal duties (hebdomadary / week officer).
- 6 ↩French 'dire depuis Laudes jusques à complies' implies reciting the Hours from Lauds through Compline; 'the hours' is supplied for clarity in English.
Règlement pour les enfants companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit