^ Communal Prayer in the Shrine Chapel of the Basilica and National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill

In the practical arrangement of each day and the layout of our houses we attempt to provide a setting that is helpful to keeping alive this remembrance of God. As far as possible we observe silence so as to make each house a house of prayer. To preserve this ideal each community sets aside two hours each day for uninterrupted silent prayer. Time is also made available for meditative reading of Scripture and spiritual reading.

The liturgy is the richest source of our spiritual life and the focal point of all community life. Each day we celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours, spreading over the whole day our praise and thanksgiving and our meditation on the mysteries of salvation. United with Christ, and on behalf of the Church and the entire human race we praise the Father with one heart and voice.

Each day we celebrate the community Eucharist. The Mass unites in one action the prayer of the community and the self-offering of Christ to the Father. In union with Christ we offer ourselves, our brethren and all people to God. In return we receive the freedom of Christ through the forgiveness of our past, communion with the Lord and all of creation in the present, and the assurance of the glorious vision of God in the future.

“In celebrating the liturgy, we share in the Paschal Mystery and in the priesthood of Christ. Especially through the Eucharist, through the proclamation of the word of God and the singing of his praises, community life is consolidated and renewed, as its union with the Church is at once symbolized and realized” (Constitutions, 57).