In the tradition of our co-founders Clare and Francis, we, the Poor Clares of South Carolina, are dedicated to a life of prayer, poverty and community. This means that our primary mission and ministry is prayer in intercession for the needs of our sisters and brothers throughout the world. Our day's activities revolve around communal and personal prayer. As Clare of Assisi's life was marked by contemplative prayer, evangelical poverty and life in community, so we strive today to make these values the hallmark of our Poor Clare life.

Poor Clares have traditionally lived a life of enclosure; that is, we are cloistered. However, Clare lived a cloistered life while at the same time she attentively shared in the concerns of the citizens of Assisi. She cared for people's needs in a very real, practical and personal way, primarily through prayer, but also by her gift of healing and in giving counsel. The original Poor Clares enjoyed a relationship of mutual and reciprocal support with their neighbors. Today, we continue to carry on our tradition of being a prayerful presence in the community along with offering spiritual direction and space for solitude and prayer.

As Poor Clares our vow of evangelical poverty and our value of simple gospel living impels us to be dependent on God’s providence. While liturgical and personal prayer is the focus of our lives, we also help support ourselves by the work of our hands. Our work in the distribution of altar breads and production of prayer remembrance cards yields approximately one third of our annual budget. Our income is minimally supplemented by Social Security. More than half of our annual operating needs are provided by generous faithful friends who value and support our life and vocation. In our fifty year history, the monastery has not received financial assistance from the diocese.

A Monastery is a sacred place where our relationship of intimacy with God is nourished. It encompasses all the activities of daily living in one place. The monastery is where we celebrate Eucharist and pray the Liturgy of the Hours and it is also the place where we work, study, receive guests, and live out our day to day lives; it is where we grow in charity and love and offer our gift of prayer with and for all creation.