You cannot have vocal prayer without the spoken word, and you cannot have contemplative prayer without silence. Mark and Frances discuss the role of silence in prayer and its importance. Silence in prayer will tend to grow as the soul’s prayer matures. We lead into an in-depth discussion of the “Twelve Degrees of Silence” by Sr. Marie-Aimee de Jesus, OCD. We proceed to the analogy of the “Five Ways of Practicing Silence” as given to St. Mary of Jesus Crucified. We end by considering the example of our Blessed Virgin Mary through the eyes of Bl. (soon to be Saint) Elizabeth of the Trinity, OCD.Resources:Books:“The Twelve Degrees of Silence” by Marie-Aimee de Jesus, OCD; ed. By Lucinda M. Vardey; The Bible Reading Fellowship.“Thoughts: Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified” by Reverend D. Buzy, S.C.J.; Carmel of Bethlehem.“The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity, Vol. 1: Major Spiritual Writings,” by Elizabeth of the Trinity, Translated by Aletheia Kane, OCD; ICS Publications.“Exploring Silence” by Wendy Robinson; Fairacres Publications.Scripture:Roman 1 Kings Ps.