Over 400 years after the Roman Catholic Faith was brought to New Mexico we as Norbertines, Canons Regular of Premontre, are planting the seeds of our ancient tradition to live a life of community, contemplation and compassionate service with the people of God in the southwestern United States.

The Norbertine Order is now nearly 900 years old, one of the oldest Roman Catholic religious orders in the world. In the valley of Premontre in France, a small group of men gathered on Christmas Eve, 1121. Led by Norbert of Xanten in Germany, they committed themselves to God, to one another, and to the vita apostolica or to the life as the early christians did. They built an abbey at Premontre to be the first home of their service. Communities of Norbertine priests, brothers, sisters and laity can now be found around the world.

The Risen Christ sends us as apostles to witness the reality and the power of a Christian community of faith by living a simple, communal life according to the rule of Augustine and the ancient traditions of the Order of Premontre, and by loving service to the Church of Santa Fe, especially to its poor and needy.

The Risen Christ sends us as apostles. . .

The Risen Christ, our head, sends his Spirit to enlighten and empower us as present-day apostles. Our apostolic way of life is rooted in the life of the early church. The authenticity of this mission has been discerned by the Abbot and the Church of St. Norbert Abbey.

To witness the reality and the power of a Christian faith community. . .

Witness is the raison d'etre of a religious community. We witness to the fact that a Christian faith community is truly possible in a culture that is increasingly uncongenial to community, and that such a community has the power to transform its members and the culture.

By living a simple, communal life. . .

Communal life is life together in a place. The core of our communal life is the Word of God, the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours, shared table, and mutual love. The simplicity to which we are called demands a total acceptance of Gospel values: uncluttered living, responsible stewardship, challenging the patterns of a consumer society, and respect for the natural environment.

According to the Rule of Augustine. . .

Our rule of life calls us before all else to "live together in harmony, being of one mind and heart on the way to God."

And the ancient traditions of the Order of Premontre. . .

Our Constitutions, The Day of Pentecost, give contemporary expression to the age-old Norbertine heritage. The fullness of the Norbertine way of life includes the "golden triangle" of community, contemplation, and compassionate service.

By loving service to the Church of Santa Fe. . .

Love and service are at the heart of the Gospel. In our service, we witness to and extend the prayerful communion we have experienced in our community. We go forth from the contemplative center of our spiritual life to our active ministries in the church of Santa Fe.

Especially to its poor and needy. . .

Jesus' ministry was to all, but with a preference for the poor, the oppressed, and the marginal. In our ministries we share Jesus' concern for the poor.