We, the Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, Arkansas, have responded to a call to seek God by a total gift of self in a religious community of celibate women, who make profession to live the Gospel  according to the Rule of Benedict, the norms of the Federation of St. Gertrude, and the norms of the Monastery.

By professing stability and fidelity to the monastic way of life, we promise to be faithful to our Benedictine tradition of prayer, work, and leisure, and to be a Christian community where persons are reverenced in their uniqueness and diversity.

By professing obedience, we center authority in the Prioress with all Sisters sharing responsibility in corporate decisions.  We listen to the Lord inviting us as monastics to be a part of the universal mission of the Church.  In a spirit of hospitality and reverence for the connectedness of all creation, we respond to local and global needs according to our giftedness and material resources.

We strive to give witness that people can live in unity and simplicity, that bonds of caring and forgiveness can heal the wounds of loneliness and broken relationships.

To those who hunger for meaning in life, we wish to share the power of the Gospel to free people for a fully human life and to create a community of peace.

Adopted August 1990
Amended July 2000