Dominican friars live what is called “the common life”. Each day, we pray the Liturgy of the Hours and celebrate the Mass, eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in our refectory, and recreate together.
The chief motivation for our common life is to live together harmoniously, seeking God with one mind and heart. Our life as Dominicans is ordered by regular observance, which includes the evangelical counsels, common life, the celebration of the liturgy, and private prayer, as well as assiduous study and apostolic ministry.
Our charism is unique in linking study and raising the heart and mind to God through prayer. Indeed, we view study as a form of prayer, that is, an act whereby we join our hearts and minds to God. We do not see the intellectual and pastoral dimensions as separate or opposed, but as flowing from a common font, divine revelation, the eternal Word of God.
Our common life is based upon the bond of fraternal charity we share. Following the model of our Father Dominic as consoler of the sick and those in distress, we pledge to care for one another in community. Our fraternal charity compels us to render special solicitude to those with whom we live who are suffering in any way—physically, psychologically, spiritually—in particular, the alienated, marginalized, and also those who for reasons of health must live apart from us.