Gospel: " He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. There Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man. (Luke 2:51-2)

St. Vincent: "We ought to regard Jesus, Mary and Joseph, who formed the little family of Nazareth, as the model of the whole Union as well as of individual communities."

Our Constitutions: "Our model of perfect community life is the Holy Family of Nazareth. The simplicity of the rapport of Jesus with Mary and Joseph is for us a concrete example of how to create a familial atmosphere of love and mutual trust." (#47)

Our Constitutions remind us that each of our communities is apostolic and every apostolate communitarian. Creating a community that is bound by love is part of our apostolic work. In turn, our apostolates are effective only to the degree that we are nourished in loving community.

A model for us is the family of Nazareth. In that home, love and trust was present in abundance. There Jesus was able "to grow in wisdom, age and grace."

With respect for the dignity of each person, we seek in our communities to create a sincere atmosphere of respect and mutual acceptance. We try to take into account each Sister's gifts and abilities and to express appreciation for them. We also make efforts to deal with the difficulties that are inevitable in ways that are caring and considerate.

We realize that community life must be nourished and so we gather for Eucharist and confront ourselves often with God's word. We value the place of prayer in our life together, recognizing that we cannot maintain the loving environment so necessary for our life in Christ on our efforts alone.