Final Vows

5/1/2025

In a stressful, complicated age such as this, there’s much to be said for wanting to pursue a quiet, contemplative life, the attraction to which can be quite strong once one gets a taste of it. So it is for the Cistercian sisters of the Santa Rita Abbey, who reside in a modest monastic compound in the idyllic, stunningly beautiful high desert of southern Arizona. These remarkable women, profiled in filmmaker Victoria Westover’s intimate and revelatory new documentary, have freely chosen to commit themselves to this humble, stable and dutiful but eminently satisfying way of life by following the Rule of St. Benedict in service to God. Filmed over the course of four years, the director has captured an inside look at this little-seen order of devotees to the Divine through interviews with the