In our religious community, we live in small groups called deaneries. These range between 2 to 13 or 14 people. It's a way of not getting lost in a large community. We see each other throughout the week, but we meet for a planned gathering usually once a week. During this time, we make sure we celebrate birthdays, feastdays, and all major events in each person's life. We share how we are, how our family is, how our ministry is going, or anything on our mind. Some weeks may consist of faith sharing or a discussion on a topic. Other weeks,we may play cards or board games or an activity that someone has planned. We end these evenings by praying compline, or night prayer, together.
We can interact and spend time with any of the sisters. Our deaneries, however, provide opportunities for each of us to connect to a small group on a deeper level. This is a way for each of us to be held accountable to living the monastic way of life.