Corpus Christi Monastery

Welcome to our home. Corpus Christi Monastery is the oldest Dominican monastery in the United States, a 116 year old branch of the first monastery of nuns founded by St. Dominic de Guzman in Prouilhe, France, in 1206.

Our vocation places us In Medio Ecclesiae, in the heart of the Church, the heart of the Order. Such was the desire of St. Dominic in order to emphasize in a radical way the grace of contemplation, which is the very source of the itinerant apostolic life begun by him. Rooted in God's Word through prayer, study, community life and hospitality, we partake of the universal mission of our Order, receiving in the inmost sanctuary of compassion the needs of the entire human family.

Mission ~ Vision ~ Renewal

A Journey in Hope

We, the Dominican Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery in Bronx, New York, live the charism given us by our Holy Father St. Dominic, collaborating in the mission of the Holy Preaching with the entire Dominican Family in the context of a multicultural and ever changing world.

Rooted in our Dominican monastic tradition, impelled by the love of Christ for every person and responsive to the needs of our time, we freely embrace the risks of becoming a prophetic voice and a transforming contemplative presence in the midst of God's people, that together with them we may respond to His Word in fulfilling the Divine plan of salvation for all humanity.

We fulfill our mission rooted in the love of God through our common life and way of government, our vows, liturgical and private prayer, study, enclosure, silence, work and hospitality which offers a quiet place for all in search of a deeper contemplative experience of God in their lives.

Our Vision and Renewal

Our Role in the Universal Church

As a people made one in the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Church manifests the mystery of the Father's plan to restore all things in Christ. In the heart of the Church, through our Baptism and religious consecration, our Dominican monastic community incarnates this reality by offering the gift of our lives in true communion of mind and heart in God.

Our Role in the Order of Preachers

Our Blessed Father Dominic established the Nuns at the heart of the Holy Preaching. It is in the authentic living of our specific call as Nuns of the Order of Preachers that we build the Church of God within Corpus Christi Monastery. Through the bond of our profession, we are intrinsically united with the universal preaching mission of our Order in solidarity with our Dominican Family. We live this mission especially through charity in the common life, in the celebration of the liturgy, and by hospitality.

Our Role in the Church of New York

Since every aspect of our Dominican life at Corpus Christi Monastery exemplifies the goals of the Holy Preaching, our community is itself an expression of the Church in New York, spiritually rooted in one place, and linked by a bond of communion with the Bishop of our Archdiocese.