+  as brides of Christ, adding to the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, a fourth vow of enclosure, "that liberating gift of the Holy Spirit which leads those who receive it over the threshold which opens upon a life of profound union with God."
           (CONSTITUTIONS, art. 20,1)

+  as daughters of the Church, "distinguished by that loyal obedience to the Vicar of Christ and the holy Roman Church which so characterized our foundress."

              (CONSTITUTIONS, art. 4,1)

+   as sisters united in love. "We cherish our religious habit as a sign of our consecration to God and as one of the most meaningful expressions of our shared life and ideal."

              (CONSTITUTIONS, art. 44,1)

In solitude and silence, in persevering prayer and willing penance, in humble manual labor and contemplative study, in the intense community life of the cloister, the Poor Clare proclaims to the world that in God alone do we find hope and joy, fulfillment and peace.