Mission Statement 

We, the association of contemplative sisters, exist to foster and support the contemplative journey of our members.  Rooted in the Christian contemplative tradition and inspired by the courage and prophetic vision of the women who formed the Association, we live in a diversity of ways a life of prayer.  We affirm the contemplative dimension of all women and men and support its development. 

Through our faithfulness to the movement of the spirit within and through action congruent with each one's call we are a contemplative presence in our broken yet redeemed world, co-operating in the healing and transforming mission of Jesus Christ. 

ACS Origins 

In August of 1969, 135 Sisters from 57 contemplative communities gathered at Woodstock, Maryland to participate in the first seminar for contemplatives in the Catholic Church in the United States.  This historic meeting served to clarify the Sisters' awareness of their need for ongoing mutual support in the process of renewal and adaptation following the Second Vatican Council.  Out of this momentous gathering, the Association of Contemplative Sisters was formed. 

From its earliest beginnings, the Association realized its role in affirming and supporting the contemplative dimension of all people.  Likewise, from its origins, the Association fostered a unity among its members stemming from mutual respect of diverse spiritual heritages and the encouragement derived from focusing on contemplative values shared in common. 

Over the years ACS has broadened and enriched its membership by welcoming as members all women who recognize and embody the primacy of prayer in their lives. 

ACS Today 

Today ACS is essentially a network of women who are called to a contemplative response to the Spirit and who live this call in a diversity of lifestyles.   ACS membership includes Sisters in the monastic and other religious communities, hermits, consecrated virgins, single lay women, married and widowed women, and women in lay contemplative communities. 

As a prophetic presence in today’s world, the Association calls all persons toward a more contemplative stance where all life is valued as a gift, where relatedness is rooted in authenticity, and where action flows from living prayer.