As women religious we profess vows of poverty, celibate chastity and obedience. These vows “put us in a new relationship with things, with other persons, and with ourselves, so that we may live in this world a life that more closely resembles the life of the Kingdom.” (Constitutions of the Sisters of Divine Providence #45)
Our Constitutions have this to say about:
Poverty: The vow of poverty calls us to assume a new relationship toward things. He who became poor for our sake and shows a preference for the poor, asks us to leave all and follow him. By renouncing the goods of this world we make it clear that God is our only treasure. We become ever more closely identified with Jesus and his dependence on the Father who cares for all. (#48)
Chastity: In the strength of Christ’s love we open ourselves to a new kind of relationship with other persons–one that is reverent and warm to all without exception, that does not demand love in return. (#55)
Obedience: We are attentive also to the call of God coming to us through the Church and Sacred Scripture, our Directory and Chapter Decrees, the needs of the world and of our mission, our own resources and limitations, the discernment of the community, and the events of daily life. In religious obedience we recognize the Congregation as the particular means through which God lets us know his will. (#65)
