God, throughout the ages you have called women and men to pursue lives dedicated to prayer in the silence of solitude. We give you thanks for these courageous witnesses to the contemplative life and models of inspiration. Their pursuit of holy lives teaches us to make a more perfect offering of ourselves to you.  Continue to enrich your Church by calling forth sons and daughters who, having found the pearl of great price, treasure the Kingdom of Heaven above all things. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen