Aware that God came to call not the virtuous but sinners and recognising his merciful love in our own lives, we have chosen to answer the call to intimacy with God by following Christ through the witness of the evangelical counsels. The vows are our framework for living and loving, a form of Christian life and discipleship, lived within the ambience of community. We take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. All three are necessary for our mission, all three are liberating - and all three are tough! But what a necessary witness the vows are in today's world where possessions, pleasure and power are the focus of life for so many people.

'The taking of vows remains an act of the deepest significance,
a sign of hope in God who promises us a future,
even when it is beyond our imagining,
and who will keep his word.' T Radcliffe OP