Salvatore Tedeschi

• Obedience: voluntary renunciation of one’s own will. The nun listens to the mentor, the abbess (the head of the monastery) and carries out their blessings.

• Poverty: renunciation of personal property. All things in the monastery are common; the nun has no personal money or property.

• Chastity: renunciation of marriage, family and carnal relations for the sake of purity of heart and love for God.

• Community meetings (chapter): discussion of community life, resolution of organizational issues, distribution of responsibilities.
• Confession, spiritual conversations and direction: personal meetings with an elder sister/spiritual father.
• Retreats and days of penitence: periodic solitary or communal spiritual exercises.
• Holidays and morning liturgies: solemn services on major church holidays, processions, reading of lives of the saints.
• Choral rehearsals and musical events: preparation for large services, possibly public concerts in the parish.
• Participation in the life of parishes: missionary outings, pilgrimages, catechetical work.
• Charity events and collections: assistance to the poor, organizational events to raise funds/assistance.
• Acceptance of novices and professions: ritual events - entry into monasticism, anniversaries of vows.

• Liturgical duties: singing the choir, reading, preparing the altar, caring for the vestments and the vessel for the Eucharist.
• Prayer and spiritual life: communal and personal prayer, Lectio divina, spiritual studies and conversations with a mentor.
• Household duties: kitchen, cleaning, laundry, general housekeeping, shopping and pantry.
• Crafts and manufacturing work: sewing, embroidery, making liturgical items, bakery, candle making, craft workshops.
• Agriculture and gardening: vegetable gardening, medicinal herbs, livestock care (in traditional communities).
• Social service: caring for the sick and elderly, welcoming pilgrims, catechesis of children and adults, charity.
• Educational and intellectual work: teaching, library work, correspondence, preparation of materials.
• Administrative functions: business purchases, accounting, organizing the arrival and reception of guests.
• Medical care: in the infrastructure – medicines, dressings, preparation of infusions (in monasteries with this practice).

• Night Prayer / Morning Hours (Vigils, Laudes): rising early in the morning for common prayers, hymns and Scripture reading – beginning the day with worship.
• Morning rituals: participation in Mass/Divine Liturgy (if provided), communion, short spiritual readings.
• Breakfast and morning obedience: a restrained meal; then distribution of duties for the day.
• Morning work block: household chores (gardens, kitchen, laundry, workshops), educational activities (if there is a school at the monastery), service in the parish, caring for the sick.
• Midday hours (Tertia, Sexta): short general prayer – the middle of the working day.
• Lunch/Quiet Time: A shared meal followed by time for personal prayer or relaxation.
• Afternoon work block: reading and copying books/library work, handicrafts (sewing, sacristy embroidery), teaching, receiving guests/pilgrims, social service (catechesis, helping those in need).
• Evening Hours (Vespers, Compline): general evening prayer, confession/spiritual guidance according to the schedule.
• Quiet hours/lights out: personal prayers and sleep, observing silence at certain hours.

• Liturgical: daily or regular service of the Eucharist, leading the Hours, serving on major feasts, preparing and coordinating services (minor details - including lighting, censer, place for communion).
• Sacraments: hearing confessions, spiritual guidance, communion of the sick, baptism and weddings when necessary (outside the monastery walls - by appointment), funeral services.
• Spiritual guidance: regular conversations with sisters, spiritual guidance for novices, confession and direction, organization of retreats and days of repentance.
• Pastoral care: visiting the infrastructure, caring for the sisters’ mental state, responding to crises (illness, doubts, emotional problems).
• Educational mission: sermons, lectures, reading of spiritual texts, leadership of the lecture-divina and theological classes at the monastery school or library.
• Coordination with the administration: planning the schedule of services, coordinating holidays, participating in the chapter, consulting with the abbess, maintaining parish and monastery records (sacraments, parishes, donations).
• Organizational and economic issues: control over the sacristy (interaction with the sacristan/sacristan), care of vestments, coordination of purchases for the liturgy and infrastructure, interaction with the diocese and parish services.
• Representation: contacts with parish, charitable and church structures; reception of guests and spiritual leaders from outside.
• Preparation for celebrations: organization of large holidays, processions, musical preparation of the choir, invitation of clergy and preachers.
• Maintenance of spiritual and church documents: registration of baptisms, confessions (if accepted), confessional records, reporting to the diocese.

• Early morning: personal prayer and preparation; participation in or celebration of the morning hours (laudes) and the Divine Liturgy/Mass – usually Mass in the sisters’ chapel.
• Morning: Confessions (as scheduled), spiritual conversations with individual sisters and novices; administrative meetings with the abbess/prior.
• Day: Pastoral work - visiting the sick in the infirmary, final preparation and distribution of communion, sermons/spiritual instructions, teaching catechesis or spiritual classes; preparation for parish services if the monastery serves a parish.
• Afternoon: paperwork (recording sacraments, correspondence with the diocese), spiritual guidance (individual), participation in community meals as needed.
• Evening: evening hours service (vespers, compline) together with the community; evening confessions in turn; personal preparation for tomorrow’s services.
• Night/lights out: short prayer, observance of silence; during special ceremonies – night services on holidays.

• Calm and reserved.
• Deeply compassionate and morally oriented.
• Patriarchal and patronizing (family, that is, all the inhabitants of the monastery, are above all else for him).
• Intellectual and educated (a geneticist by profession).
• Self-disciplined and ascetic in desires.
• Gentle in communication, inspires trust and respect, this is also above all, because you need to respect everyone and everything.

• The face is oval, of neat proportions; high cheekbones and slightly pronounced nasolabial folds give the features severity.
• Pale skin, almost porcelain, without bright blush - an ascetic and restrained appearance.
• The eyes are deep-set, dark, with a penetrating yet warm look; the eyebrows are thin and clearly defined.
• The nose is straight and neat; the lips are thin, often smiling - the expression is usually calm and friendly, inviting.
• His hair is dark, slightly curly, and not covered by anything, as he is a man.
• The figure is slender, slightly above average height (185 cm); posture is straight, movements are calm and economical - every gesture is measured.
• Hands are neat, fingers are long and well-groomed, manners are neat; voice is quiet, even, calm, with warmth.

• Cassock - a long, plain vestment reaching to the ankles, serves as a form and sign of rank, at the same time modest and formal clothing.
• Basic elements:
• Koloratka (collar): a white insert in the collar or a solid white strip - a visible sign of spiritual rank.
• Cape (small cloak/shoulder cape): a short cape that covers the shoulders and upper chest/back; serves a decorative and practical function (protection from wind, visual demarcation of the shoulders).
• Front strip with buttons: classically fastened along the entire length from the collar down - buttons can be hidden or decorative.
• Belt/wrap: a wide belt at the waist, sometimes designed as a long front apron or with fringe; holds the cassock in place and accentuates the silhouette.
• Sleeves: long, straight, usually without loose trim; cuffs simple or slightly flared.
• Shape and fit:
• Straight, elongated silhouette; the waist is emphasized by a belt, but the overall line is modest and free.
• Length - to the ankles; collar is high and thick.
• Materials and color:
• Traditionally dark black fabric (wool, twill, polyester/wool blend for casual options); dressier options are fine wool or velvet.

• The monastery itself: a powerful stone building with severe facades, arches and high split-windows; the overall tone is one of restrained severity and order, a sense of centuries-old, established life.
• Church/chapel: the center of prayer - dim light, stained glass or narrow panes, the smell of wax and incense; wooden pews, a carved or simple altar and the measured accent of an organ or choir.
• Cell: a small, neat room with a bed, table, chair and shelves; a minimum of things, a simple bed, a cross on the wall and a window overlooking the courtyard - a place for solitary life and reading.
• Cloister (Gallery): A covered arcade around a courtyard, with stone floors, silence and flickering shadows – an ideal space for slow walking, conversation and prayer.
• Refectory: a long wooden table, benches, rough dishes; order and silence during meals, often with the reading of soul-saving texts.
• Sacristy/Sacristy: A quiet room containing vestments and church furnishings – neatly hung vestments, candles, books and wooden boxes for relics.
• Library/cellar with books: shelves with folios and manuscripts, a desk with a lamp; the smell of parchment and a bit of dust, a place for studying and copying texts.
• Hospital: simple beds, herbal infusions and utensils, caring nurses; a quiet place to recuperate and receive care.
• Garden and vegetable garden: straight beds and medicinal herbs, juniper and apple trees; neatly maintained paths where root crops and medicinal plants are grown.
• Courtyard (site): a square paved with tiny tiles with a well or a fountain, a place for morning gatherings and walks - sun and shade according to the daily schedule.
• Bell tower: a tall silhouette from which the ringing of bells can be heard; steps, the smell of raw stone and the view of the surrounding area – a signal of time and rhythm of the monastery.
• Pilgrim's Inn/Hospice: Simple rooms and a communal dining room, a welcoming environment for guests - a place of short-term shelter and generosity.
• Workshops: a dark room with a lathe workbench, a sewing corner or a forge (depending on the order)