(Jesus, Mary + Joseph, Michael)

One who takes the Marian Vow must be prepared for martyrdom. Just as the three religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience represent the three nails, the lance that struck the Sacred Heart is the Marian Vow. In a radical sense, then, the Marian Vow represents the Birth of the Church, since she too is formed from the New Adam’s side, and in the presence of Mary.

The two future Carmelite Sister Martyrs, like the extern sisters taken from Teresa’s constitutions, will wear black veils from the moment they are clothed in the Holy Habits of Mount Carmel. Externs, wear the black veil from the moment of their clothing ceremony to represent the community as a whole in a more official capacity since they are seen “outside” the cloister. Our reasoning is a little different; we shall be spiritual externs. While the cloister represents the heart, in our case Mary’s Heart, the rib cage protects the heart, but the vocation of the Carmelite Sister Martyrs is to BE the rib cage. We guard and protect Mary’s Heart with jealousy, and the color of the black veil will symbolize our shared request to “die” for the triumph of Her Heart. Black symbolizes exactly that: death. As the vocation to the desert means little contact with the world, most especially for men who are often priests and are able to administer the Sacraments to themselves, brides of Christ must have a Fatherly priest who can administer them, shelter and protect the hermits and be their Father Superior. As traditional hermits rarely receive spiritual direction as it is not a desert custom, they must have a learned, orthodox, and charitable confessor and go to confession once a week.

The Hermit will not have a human superior, outside of obedience to her confessor and the “Prioress” being the Mother of God in Her title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, but would live together, but separate, as a community of hermits who share the same vocation with great sisterly affection but separate in their own cells in a single hermitage with two rooms, a kitchen and a place to pray the Divine Office, on or near the Mass. Each sister will be a “sister martyr”. Everything they accomplish will be “together, but separate”. Like the martyrs of Compiegne, it is the desire for these two hermits to come together every day ONLY to recite their act of oblation for the triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart, meals and to pray the Carmelite Rite of the divine Office in common. Everything else will be separate. There would be no recreation outside of our 9 Patron feast days: Christ the King (Last Sunday of October), August 22nd of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Saint Joseph (March 19th and 3rd Sunday after Easter Solemnity), Saint Michael (September 29th and May 8th) August 11th of Saint Philomena, Prophet Elijah (and Henoch) July 20th, Saint Therese October 3rd, Saint Maximilian Kolbe (Assumption Vigil) as well as Christmas and Easter. Our goal is the strictest solitude possible and the fruit for our few recreations will be met with the upmost joy, charity and laughter, as Mary will be the cause of our joy, as She told St. Juan Diego.

Our Lady’s dowry is the Catholic Church; Israel is the Church. Covenants were always sealed with Land, and the current occupied Holy Land is unlawfully occupied by the Jews. They lost the land when they rejected Christ, per the Law of Moses. In theory, that land belongs to the Catholic Church, it belongs to Mary. Not only does the literal land belong to Her as PROPERTY, but when we take the Marian Vow we too become HER PROPERTY. This is why we so gloriously view Israel as a person (Jacob), place (Holy Land) and thing (Catholic Church). The Book of the Apocalypse and the Canticle of Canticles promises us that the Jews will convert to Christ the King, and thus, our life will also center around praying for their conversion. Saint Maximilian Kolbe warned of the Talmud’s hatred for Christ and the Church. Citing the protocols of the elders of Zion, he said that the Jews are in charge of freemasonry.

When the Book of the Apocalypse says that The New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven, we Catholics through Church Fathers KNOW that a Biblical “great reset” is coming. This will happen shortly after the death of Elijah, Henoch and Anti-Christ. Also, the death and final passion of Holy Mother Church as predicted in the catechism, but in order for her “resurrection” to take place, she must “die”, so Mary’s Heart can triumph in her, and thus be resurrected. Anti-Christ is the puppet and “mask” of Satan, while Holy Mother Church is the symbol and mirror of Mary. Anti-Christ’s “reward” for having been made a “prince” of the world for a short time is an eternity of hell fire, but Holy Mother Church’s reward will be great- very great- for having been made a spectacle to the world, but the apple of God’s eye! Remember this when people tell you that Mary’s triumph comes BEFORE anti-Christ. What a load of garbage!

WHAT KIND OF TRIUMPH WOULD THAT BE IF ANTI-CHRIST CAME AFTER? That would mean that She did not really crush the head of the serpent, but sort of kicked him aside for a bit. That is no triumph for Mary; that is an insult to Her. That is total “fake news”. The REAL Sister Lucia of Fatima said that the devil is in the mood for engaging in the decisive battle against the Virgin, and the decisive battle is ONE battle. Where one side will be victorious and the other will suffer defeat. WE MUST NOW CHOOSE SIDES. We are either for God or for the devil, she said. The name “Jerusalem” means “they will see WHOLENESS or COMPLETENESS”. We also see how it means city of PEACE. What did Our Lady of Fatima promise? AN ERA OF PEACE. Wholeness, restoration and completeness will ONLY happen in Holy Mother Church with her liturgy, dogmas and doctrine restored WITH the triumph of Mary’s Heart, Whose time is now. Her triumph is not before anti-Christ; it’s a triumph OVER anti-Christ. Rightfully applied to Mary:

Let Thy dwelling be in Jacob, and Thy INHERITANCE [dowry] in Israel, and take root in My elect. And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and My power was in Jerusalem.

Go back and re-read that sentence. THAT IS THE MARIAN VOW. Mary’s dowry is the Church and the Church’s dowry is Mary. How splendid!

Marriage between Carmel and the Marian Vow:

We will not be Discalced and we will not be O’Carm; rather, we will be something entirely new, but also ancient: C.S.M. Carmelite Sister Martyrs. We are steeped in the life of our Founder Elijah, but we bring Saint Maximilian Kolbe’s Marian Vow to enrich the spirit of Carmel with a specific task: offering ourselves as victims for the Triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart, for the restoration of the Rock of Peter, the Mission of Elijah and Henoch and for the consecration of Russia.

Introduction to the Life of an Anchorite

LET US REMEMBER OUR HOLY FATHERS OF PAST DAYS, THE HERMITS WHOSE LIVES WE ATTEMPT TO IMITATE. WHAT SUFFERINGS THEY BORE, WHAT SOLITUDE, COLD, THIRST AND HUNGER, WHAT BURNING SUN AND HEAT! AND YET THEY HAD NO ONE TO COMPLAIN TO EXCEPT TO GOD. DO YOU SUPPOSE THEY WERE MADE OF IRON? NO: THEY WERE AS FRAIL AS WE ARE.

 ~TERESA OF JESUS~

The call to the cloistered community is truly a “call within a call”, but the call to leave even a cloistered life in common to scale the mountain with Moses, Elijah and the great prophets of the Old Testament can very much be seen as “a call, within a call, within another call.” Many, even in a community are afraid to be absolutely and completely alone with God. Man is not meant to be alone, but how can one truly be alone if they are living constantly in the presence of the Divine? The presence of Our Dear Lady, the angels and the saints.

IF IN THE PAST AGES, THE CHURCH HAD TO RELY ON HER ANCHORITES, WE NEED MORE THAN EVER TODAY THAT THEY SHOULD EXIST AND PROSPER.

~POPE PIUS XI~

Carmelite Sister Martyrs of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, C.S.M:

Hastening the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I have also tried to ensure that this Rule of Our Lady and Empress shall be kept in its original perfection.

~Our Holy Mother Teresa of Jesus~

Teresa had it right, but she also adopted customs that were flat out wrong; thus, we do not follow her constitutions, only the rule of Saint Albert of Jerusalem edited to fit our way of life and specific mission in the heart of Holy Mother Church. Read here why will not be using her constitutions outside of her habit pattern and extern black veil custom.

NINE PATRONS:

1.) Christ the King.

2.) The Immaculate Heart of Mary and Saint Philomena.

3.) Saint Joseph and Saint Michael.

4.) Elijah and Henoch.

5.) Maximilian Kolbe and Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face.

The Desert Fathers and the Spirit of Carmel:

Hundreds of years ago our Fathers of the Church, in particular the desert Fathers, thought the greatest gift a soul could possess was to be totally secluded in the desert. This ancient call precedes life in common and has been lost, misunderstood or seen as a waste, when it is actually the Church’s greatest gift. The world teaches us that we always have to be doing something; even our best intentions in these actions can have some sort of vain glory in it. Many Catholics in our day see the true life of prayer as selfish, but what did Our Lord reveal to Moses and Elijah on the mount during His Transfiguration? WE do not know the answer, but the most glorious of all intimacies can be found on the top of the mountain of prayer if we simply take the risk and leave all to discover these choicest secrets. 

However, the life of an anchoress needs a “spirit” to fuel her fire and that ancient “spirit” is that of Carmel. We often hear how most religious orders belong to Mary; especially that of Carmel but many do not know the REAL reason Carmelites belong totally to Our Lady. There was a group of hermits during Our Lord’s life, who, adopted the spirit of Elijah, lived on Mount Carmel and because Nazareth is so close to Mount Carmel OUR LADY OFTEN WENT TO INSTRUCT THESE HERMITS ON THE MOUNT! And on the way back from Egypt, Saint Joseph, Our Lady and Our Lord stopped and visited these hermits, on their return to Nazareth, on Mount Carmel. 

So you see, Carmel really is Our Lady’s Order because She instructed these Carmelite hermits DURING HER LIFETIME. Thus, it made perfect sense, when the Order of Carmel came under attack and was on the verge of being expunged by the Holy See, that Our Lady appeared to Pope Honorius and said this in defense of Her Carmelites:

My orders do not admit contradiction or delay. So that you might have faith in My words, know that your judges, who are the enemies of My order [Carmel], will feel the vengeance of God this very night and will die simultaneously a sudden death.

Pope Honorious called the Carmelites to approve their rule and dismissed the two judges. The Holy Virgin spoke these impressive words in a vision to Pope Honorius III in 1226, ordering him to approve and protect the Rule of the Carmelite Order, that is, the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The next day, January 30^th, Honorius III learned of the deaths of the judges whom he had convoked to resolve the case regarding the approval of the Carmelite Order. The Pope then called the Carmelite religious to appear before him, embraced them warmly, and proceeded to compose the Bull Ut vivendi normam, which confirmed their Rule. The institution was definitively approved on this date. The sons of Carmel gave thanks upon learning of this prodigy and the extraordinary protection of the Virgin Mary over their Order. The remembrance of this event was perpetuated by a feast, instituted by that same Pontiff at the request of St. Simon Stock, who was then Vicar General of the Carmelites in the West. This is the solemn feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, recorded in the liturgical calendar on July 16^th.

With all that being said thus far, it is not enough to simply be an anchorite, but a Carmelite anchorite, because the spirit of Carmel is this hermit’s guide to the mount of perfection.

Carmel dates back to far beyond that of Our Holy Parents, Teresa and John; so, one would ask: where did it all begin? In 1321, Our Lady revealed to Saint Peter Thomas that,

THE ORDER OF CARMEL IS DESTINED TO EXIST UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD.

This would be fitting because in theory, the very first monastic order to take form was under our original Carmelite Holy (Desert) Father who began his intense eremitical life on Mount Carmel where his original cell was that of a cave: Elijah. This prophet, who scripture tells us will also come back down to earth to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Christ, still has an important part to play.  Many secrets have been revealed on mountaintops: God descended in a cloud of fire on Mount Sinai, the fire that consumed the sacrifices of Elijah. Abraham went to such a place to sacrifice his son, Isaac to God; on Mount Horeb God revealed Himself to Moses through the manifestation of the burning bush, then later received the Ten Commandments from Him while on top of a mountain. 

Our Lord faithfully carried His cross uphill, to Mount Calvary where He sacrificed Himself. Was it not Elijah and Moses who were also next to Our Lord on a similar summit during His transfiguration? Finally, this very same prophet’s mysterious vision (described below) was seen on Mount Carmel; John of the Cross also has his famous map of perfection that leads to the top of a mountain. If we ponder the meaning of Our Lady’s mysterious prophecy of Carmel “destined” to exist until the end of the world, it would be only fitting that it’s father and founder would come back to be Carmel’s commander-in-chief for the decisive and final battle ahead. So what makes Carmel, the desert  – or mountain – destined for greatness?

PROPHETS AND APOSTLES CALLED TO THE DESERT/ MOUNTAIN:

1.) Moses

2.) John the Baptist (an austere hermit before preparing the way of the Lord)

3.) Elijah

4.) Saint Paul (fled to the desert- Arabia’s Mount Sanai- for three years before preaching to the gentiles)

5.) Mary Magdalen, who, lived the rest of her days in a cave of total seclusion in France until her death. Martha, Mary and Lazarus docked the same boat they shared in France. Lazarus became a bishop; Martha started a holy community of Virgins. That was not enough for the Magdalen; she did not join Martha in community life but entered into her predestined cave of solitude.

ON MOUNTAIN TOPS:

1.) God the Father is found and reveals Himself- “I Am that I Am.”

2.) Our Lord accepts “burnt offerings”- sacrifices.

3.) Christ reveals another part of His identity, that of fire- the burning bush.

4.) Reveals His Holy Will.

5.) His Law- beatitudes, ten commandments etc.

Hermits are called to a stricter and more intense way of life even than that of the cloister, because it is a life of direct service to Jesus and Mary outside of life in common. Contemplatives have been identified as the very heart of the Catholic Church; the cloister “grills” can be seen as the rib cage, which we know, protects that heart. Modernism has seeped its way into the rib cage and this heart is no longer seen as essential; we are well aware, however, that the body cannot go on living without this vital organ. Thus, we must look back to Elijah where it all began, the prophet who was chosen to foresee the glorious foot of Our Lady predicting this future war between the seed of Satan and the seed of Her own:

ELIJAH CLIMBED TO THE TOP OF CARMEL [THE MOUNTAIN], CROUCHED DOWN TO EARTH AND PUT HIS HEAD BETWEEN HIS KNEES. SIX TIMES HE LOOKED OUT TO THE SEAS AND SAW NOTHING. AND THE SEVENTH TIME THE YOUTH REPORTED, ‘THERE IS A CLOUD AS SMALL AS A FOOT RISING FROM THE SEA’…IN GENESIS, GOD THE FATHER SAID TO THE SERPENT: ‘SHE WILL CRUSH YOUR HEAD AND YOU WILL STRIKE HER HEEL.’

Are Carmelite souls destined to form Her Heel? After all, it was Elijah on the top of Carmel who saw this Heel take shape. Only time will tell, however; at Fatima did not Our Lady appear on October 13th, 1917, as Our Lady of Mount Carmel?

Carmel seems to be the key ingredient to proclaiming victory over Satan. Carmel was in a very real sense, the first monastic order to exist with Elijah being the first ever founder and according to Our Lady, will it also be the last? The Blessed Virgin Mary has revealed extraordinary secrets of Her Heart through the holy prophets and order of Carmel: The gift of Her Scapular to Saint Simon Stock and the intense and disciplined rule of Saint Albert of Jerusalem; in no other (approved) apparition does Our Lady appear in a different habit, only the Holy Habit of Carmel. If we reread all that was written in regards to Fatima, the “Carmel destiny” and the future role of Elijah, we are reminded that Carmel is truly Our Lady’s order. Thus, we do not limit ourselves to strictly looking back at Our Holy Parents Teresa and John, but to the very beginning where it all began on the mountain of Mount Carmel. As Scripture has shown us, it began with Elijah, and it must end with him.

ALL ARE TO REMAIN IN THEIR CELLS OR NEAR THEM, MEDITATING DAY AND NIGHT ON THE LAW OF THE LORD AND BEING VIGILANT IN PRAYERS, UNLESS OTHERWISE LAWFULLY OCCUPIED.

 ~SAINT ALBERT OF JERUSALEM~

The Marian Vow and Our Lady of Fatima:

  After having brought the daughters of Teresa of Jesus to France in the beginning of the 17th century, Cardinal de Berulle wanted them to add a fourth Marian vow to their three existing religious vows. But he had to renounce this idea due to the very strong opposition of the Spanish Carmelite nuns; this unexpected objection was headed by none other than Blessed Anne of Jesus and Blessed Anne of Saint Bartholomew. So, since that time, what has changed? St. Teresa of Jesus and Bl. Anne of Saint Bartholomew both faced a great crisis in their own times: the Protestant revolution. In our current time, we can simply look around and clearly see with adjusted vision the crisis infiltrating the heart of the Church. 

That rib cage can be seen as the Catholic Hierarchy, without them- who protects the heart, the contemplatives? Our Lady always raises up great saints during times of instability or catastrophe. A fourth Marian vow that was not needed then, could certainly be needed now; not unlike a remedy or cure that was not necessary for an illness that did not yet exist in 1500. This vow could very well be another “key ingredient” that Our Lord requested through Our Lady at Fatima: devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary which could only lead to one thing – the triumph of that Heart. Our intention therefore is not to change the Carmelite spirit in any way or to introduce some extraneous element to that spirit, but rather to enhance it with new grace. Notably, during the time of John and Teresa, Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe was not yet born; he was destined to live during a time when Satan would begin his decisive and final battle with the Virgin. So, what did Kolbe introduce in this vow?

In the traditional Carmelite profession, the object of the vows is the evangelical counsels of obedience, poverty and chastity, but these vows are rendered Marian by the fact that they are offered to God through the Hands of Our Queen. Our intention is to render this Marian dimension all the more explicit by adding sacred obligations beyond those commitments already listed. This Marian Vow on a spiritual level involves a total offering of self to the Blessed Virgin, establishing Her as the Sovereign Queen and Mistress of the heart, body and soul. To give Her the meritorious value of all prayers and works so that She can dispose of them as She wishes. According to Saint Louis De Montfort, this is not even done in religious orders:

THEY DO NOT GIVE HIM BY THESE VOWS THE LIBERTY AND RIGHT TO DISPOSE OF THE VALUE OF THEIR GOOD WORKS. THEY DO NOT DESPOIL THEMSELVES OF WHAT A CHRISTIAN CONSIDERS MOST PRECIOUS AND MOST DEAR – HIS MERITS AND SATISFACTIONS.

Most particularly, the vow includes a specific daily self-offering as victim of holocaust to bring about the triumph of Her Immaculate Heart. This Marian vow is a concrete response to the message of Our Lady of Fatima who asked the shepherd children to offer themselves as victims and who spoke of Her Son’s burning desire that devotion to Her Heart be spread throughout the world. Maximillian Kolbe refers to this vow as “transubstantiation into the Immaculata, a living and breathing Immaculata in the form of a host”. What does he mean by that? Our Lord chose to transform Himself into a small white host for the entire world in every Church Tabernacle. As such, so the Immaculata wants to establish Herself, Her life and Her interior in the utterly simple soul of a Carmelite. Did not Saint Louis de Montfort say Our Lord desires “living copies of Mary”. It is profound to note that while one can be dispensed of the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, one cannot be discharged of the Marian Vow. It is permanent, and thus… the most precious?

This vow allows the soul to give Mary ALL without holding anything back, a complete and utter victim who denies Her nothing. We only ever hear of demonic and evil possessions of a soul; picture one being possessed by the Immaculate Conception. Then and only then, will we ever be able to love Christ as He deserves and console that most Sacred Heart, by establishing in our own hearts devotion to Her Immaculate Heart. I am going to take it one step further, if you will: to be little hosts and tabernacles for Our Lady. We will no longer exist, only Mary; just as we see what appears to be only bread, is really the Body of Christ. To see a simple Carmelite, yet who is fully possessed by the Immaculata. Obviously, the triumph of the Immaculate Heart was not reserved for Teresa’s time; thus, this Marian vow has been reserved for:

THE EDUCATION OF THE GREAT SAINTS WHO WILL COME AT THE END OF THE WORLD ARE RESERVED FOR MARY.

 ~SAINT LOUIS DE MONTFORT~

In studying the lives of the Carmelite saints, one finds that many of them sensed an urgent need to make an ulterior offering above and beyond the commitments assumed with religious profession. St. Teresa Margaret Redi offered herself as a “victim of love” and her life was consumed at the young age of twenty-two. The sixteen Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne recited a daily oblation as “victims of holocaust”, during the French Revolution’s “Reign of Terror”. After all the Carmelites were beheaded in their Holy Habits of Carmel on the eve of the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, just a few days later, the revolution ended. 

Their united promise was heard by Jesus and accepted.  Such confidence only came from the fruit of their daily offering; a supernatural courage gifted directly from the Divine. Therese also made her “Act of Oblation to Merciful Love” as a “victim of holocaust” in order to open the flood gates of Divine Mercy for sinners. With the help of the saints who came before us, it is a desire to follow in their footsteps and open the flood gates of the mercy that comes from the Heart of Mary, thus establishing the reign of Her Divine Son and Prince, Jesus Christ, in the hearts of all men.

The combined power of prayer, sacrifice and bond of these Carmelite martyrs had the power to soften Christ’s Heart and restore peace. This is the current goal- with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is the urgent mission for our times as requested at Fatima and it is a hope that this offering will be accepted by Jesus and Mary; to be blessed with the gift of white martyrdom, and perhaps even red martyrdom. Many Carmels have the preconceived idea that Carmelite spirituality reached its peak of perfection in the early years of the Discalced Reform and that anyone who has an aspiration to do something a little different is somehow insulting Teresa; I assure you, if she were alive today, she would urge her daughters to take the Marian vow.

Let us consider all the Carmelite women’s communities that have formed in recent centuries: the Carmelite Sisters of Charity (Venerable Teresita Quevedo’s community, founded by Saint Joaquina de Vedruna), the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and the Infirm (founded by Venerable Angeline McCrory) and the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus (founded by Blessed Maria Teresa Tauscher). You will notice that all these foundresses have titles like Saint, Blessed, and Venerable. If they weren’t authentically Carmelite, then would Our Lord have allowed them to receive such honors in the Church? I myself have witnessed a very UNHOLY competition between Discalced Carmels and ANY OTHER Carmel, especially the poor O’Carms, who aspire to do something a little different. This type of attitude displayed by the Discalced is steeped in pride and belongs to the prince of pride. Again, if Teresa were alive today she would shun this superior attitude.

Traditional Latin Mass and the Carmelite Rite of the Divine Office, pre 1955:

I AM WORRIED BY THE BLESSED VIRGIN’S MESSAGES TO LUCY OF FATIMA. THIS PERSISTENCE OF MARY ABOUT THE DANGERS WHICH MENACE THE CHURCH IS A DIVINE WARNING AGAINST THE SUICIDE OF ALTERING THE FAITH, IN HER LITURGY, HER THEOLOGY AND HER SOUL. I HEAR ALL AROUND ME INNOVATORS WHO WISH TO DISMANTLE THE SACRED CHAPEL, DESTROY THE UNIVERSAL FLAME OF THE TRUE FAITH OF THE CHURCH, REJECT HER ORNAMENTS AND MAKE HER FEEL REMORSE FOR HER HISTORICAL PAST.

~POPE PIUS XII~

Liturgy was first on that list. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the very center of a Carmelite nun’s day; it is where she meets her Beloved and receives greater strength. The Mass IS her vocation. It is the place where, beside Our Mother of Sorrows, she learns to carry the cross alongside her wounded Bridegroom. It is also where the Carmelite becomes accustomed to standing next to the Woman Who never abandoned Her Son. Another effect of modernism are the enemies of the Church who want to remove the element of sacrifice; without that key function we reduce something as precious and sacred as the Mass to a mere “meal”. 

The Traditional Latin Mass has produced hundreds of saints flowing from its aqueduct of rich graces. My personal favorite saints come to mind: John of the Cross, Isaac Jogues, Therese of the Child Jesus, Teresa of Jesus, Bernadette of Lourdes, Louis de Montfort, Teresa of the Andes, Venerable Teresita Quevedo, Edith Stein, Elizabeth of the Trinity, the Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara, the sixteen Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne and Maximilian Kolbe. All the saints mentioned knew only this precious form of the Mass; the present vernacular was not introduced even during Saint Maximilian’s time, let alone the saints preceding him. 

The Latin Mass dates back to the time of the Apostles, as history has shown us that Saint Peter helped write the Canon of the Mass. The Divine Office is the “completion” of the Mass; in a very glorious sense, they are inseparable. Together with the Carmelite Rite of the Divine Office used for hundreds of years and spanning back to the time of Our Holy Parents John and Teresa, it was even used by Therese of Lisieux. Like the Seraphim, it is a simple wish to join these celestial beings in intoning the Divine Praises at the very throne of Jesus and Mary: The King and Queen.

Tradition is truth and life-giving. The novus ordo is spiritually gay.

~Father James Mawdsley~

 The Muslims told Marcel Lefebvre the Great (he will be called that one day mark my word) that they admired his courage in rejecting Vatican II and the New Mass. Even they recognized in Marcel, true holiness. The Muslims so memorably shunned praying with Pope John Paul II, in 2001, because they too knew that “dialoguing” (an ecumenical word) with different religions was a disgrace (it is!). When the Muslims convert, they will be a mighty force for good. Our Lady of Fatima is a powerful reminder that Fatima was a Portuguese Princess who was Muslim and converted to Catholicism.

My personal experience never ceases to amaze me. These bishops for the most part were fellow students with me in Rome, trained in the same manner. And then, all of the sudden, I found myself alone. But I have invented nothing new; I was simply carrying on. 

~Marcel Lefebvre the Great~

THAT is what real holiness and humility looks like. Inventing nothing new, but courageously hanging onto tradition. That is also what humility looks like. Like Joan, he too will be on the right side of history. One only needs to put the Saint Andrew’s Missal beside the 1962’s to see the tragic difference (yes, tragic is the word). Yes, they are on the pricier side, but can we really put a price on the beauties, riches and glories of our faith? In all seriousness, if you shop around, you can find good deals! These Mass Missal changes also tie into the influence of Jews (I am entirely serious). Just like PRE 1962 Missals, the PRE 1962 Breviaries AND rubrics are what the Sister Martyrs will use with the 1938 Carmelite Rite. Even the Roman Rite, pre-55, are typically VERY hard to find and of course expensive because they are so rare, but I hope that when Holy Mother Church is restored with the triumph of Mary’s Heart, all her sacred books will be restored as well. The New Mass and New Office are fake and spiritually gay, as Father Mawdsley said.

We believe, along with Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, that there is only ONE Roman Rite, that the New Mass must be permanently abolished, and Vatican II must be declared a failed Council; a pope can decree this as he has the power to bind and loose. In Archbishop Vigano’s interview with Dr Taylor Marshall, he was asked what the faithful can do when they don’t have the Latin Mass and his answer forever made my Grandparents STOP attending the Novus Ordo. In fact, and this shows the power of Saint Philomena whose Patronage we are under (whose very existence was questioned after Vatican II and Padre Pio had to defend her). My Grandmother was so torn about giving up the New Mass that she prayed to Saint Philomena to make it absolutely clear that she and my Grandfather were no longer to attend it and that night she had a dream where she read, “one cannot serve two masters”. The very next day’s Gospel for Latin Mass was… “one cannot serve two masters.”

She was stunned and knew she received her answer. Trust us on this. Pray to Our Lady and pray to Philomena about the Mass and answers come like lightning. Attending both forms is indeed serving two masters. The New (WORLD) Order serves the man-god and the Old Mass serves the God-Man. We believe priests ordained in the New Mass are valid priests but MUST switch over to celebrating ONLY the Latin Mass of the Apostles without fear and without compromise; I know several priests who have made this switch and it’s admirable; take Archbishop Vigano! Now is no time for weakness and effeminacy in the priesthood, but humility with admitting we have been duped and stop offering sacrifice in a way that displeases God the Father. They must have zeal and trust in God and His Holy Mother to do the right thing always knowing Our Lord will provide and reward those most liberally for choosing truth over compromise.

For choosing courage over fear; faith over sinful freemasonic obedience. BE MEN, MEN! In fact, we only use the PRE-1960s Saint Andrew’s Missal. This Missal has taught us more about our faith than we can express. It’s truly like a history book. I am saddened to say that the Missals and liturgical changes that came after 1962 are watered down and lacking in substance, even in the Tridentine Mass. Especially the attack on Easter Vigil and Holy Week! As Father Mawdsley said, we should be striving for so much more than mere validity, and that is certainly one thing we can take away from the sedevacantists is they have not compromised on the pre-1955 rites; Father made an excellent video on that topic. God deserves the best; it is Christ the King we are talking about, here, and He demands we worship Him in the way He pleases. Today’s disastrous Mass changes mirror the sin of the Israelites and it was only at the divine intervention of Moses did God not do away with that “stiff neck” lot. How much more patience will He have with our generation?

Whoever rejects the traditional Mass will be vulnerable to the antichrist lie that Jerusalem is the centre of the world and Solomon’s Temple must be rebuilt. If a soul is not grounded in Catholic Tradition, in that which connects all of time and space with the Crucifixion, then such a person is fatally vulnerable to being deceived by the Antichrist, or else simply submitting out of fear to his tyranny.

~Father James Mawdsley~

Happiness does not make you sing, singing makes you happy.

Singing releases endorphins, which are neurotransmitters associated with pleasure and pain relief. This fits so perfectly with the Canticle of Canticles as the bride sings even her grief and Our Lord encourages her by lovingly singing along. Everything was sung before the fall, and this in a sense ties into the glorious canticles sung in the Old Testament which of course tie into the riches of the Mass and the Divine Office. Singing is also an act of reparation.

What Bible do we use? Latin Vulgate Douay Rheims. 

What Latin Mass Missal do we use? ONLY the PRE-1962 Daily Saint Andrew’s Missal.

What Office do we pray? The 1938 four volume set of the Carmelite Rite. Just like PRE 1962 Missals, the PRE 1962 Breviaries and rubrics.

The First Saturday Devotion:

I never feel so happy as when a First Saturday arrives!

Sister Lucia of Fatima

Many well-grounded and traditional Discalced Carmels stress that the spirit of Carmel should not be modified in any way with the addition of extra prayers and devotions citing the preservation of spirit of Carmel as sacred. This is one hundred percent our personal goal; the Carmelite way of life is such a gift that we come to Our Lady empty-handed, ready to be filled with the very gifts of Her Heart: Her interior. However, while many Carmels faithfully embrace the First Friday Devotion, the First Saturday is ignored. This devotion has not become a universal practice of the Catholic Church and Sister Lucia related that peace in the world depends on the faithful observance of this particular devotion. Our Lord told Sister Lucia that His Heart was moved to establish a devotion that would remove the five principle thorns that pierce Our Mother’s Broken Heart:

1. The blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception.
2. Against Her Perpetual Virginity.
3. Against Her Divine Maternity, refusing at the same time to accept Her as Mother of all mankind.
4. Those who try publicly to implant in the children’s hearts, indifference, contempt and even hate against this Immaculate Mother.
5. Those who insult Her directly in Her sacred images.

This is heaven’s peace plan as Pope Benedict XVI said so memorably in 2013; Fatima is not concluded – it is for OUR times. It is a desire to have a life smothered in Mary’s Fatima message, as the triumph of the Immaculate Heart depends upon it, as well as the salvation of souls! The First Saturday Devotion will be treated with the upmost love and care, offering every small sacrifice possible to makes “amends” for these five wounds made against Mary’s Sorrowful Heart. The First Saturday of the month and daily life will center on consoling the Most Holy Virgin, Whom Sister Lucia claimed to have never smiled once during the apparitions. The Sister Martyrs’s goal is to reach a point where every day is treated like a First Saturday for the sake of Mary.

Strictly Contemplative:

The world in which we live shuns the contemplative souls and says: what a waste. The popular question: “what do you do all day?” is especially asked of hermits. Even faithful Catholics mutter, “well, I could never live such a life and so, you can’t either, then!” All is a grace and if Our Lord is calling a soul to the desert, He does not qualify the person, He qualifies the call, and the grace is sufficient. The thirty years of private life led by Our Lord is a mystery, to say the least. Yet Our Lord told Saint Faustina,

I KEEP THE WORLD IN EXISTENCE ONLY BECAUSE OF YOU. YOU BIND MY HANDS WITH YOUR LOVE!

That statement is shrouded in unfathomable mystery and romance. Such CAN be the power of a faithful bride of Christ, and such is the power of anchorites, cloistered monks and nuns; they are the beating heart of the Catholic Church. Anybody can have a heart, but does it beat? One may ask, wouldn’t you rather serve the poor, the sick, clothe the naked or preach? A confident lover of the Crucified can boldly answer: and who is there to serve Christ directly, at His feet with the Magdalen? The contemplative is free to love Our Lord without limits, to leave all for the sole purpose of loving Him. “To be alone with the Alone” as Carmelite and saint, Elizabeth of the Trinity so famously says. 

It is not a question of loud or quiet personality to “persevere” in a life of solitude, it is only a matter of the heart; He looks only at the heart and how much it is willing to love and suffer with Him. The nun with a sense of humor is the one more likely to face the trials courageously in the war against self. Humor is a thing rooted in the Divine and since the greatest war is against powers and principalities (especially as a contemplative), we can’t take ourselves seriously if we want to judge ourselves in the proper “divine” light; we need only take God seriously. 

Teresa was so “done” with the world that when she was starting new Discalced foundations, she kept her eyes cast down so as to stay exclusively recollected with her Lord. Yet, what did this accomplish? The souls who saw her on the street converted on the spot simply from seeing her. She did not preach; she didn’t need to. These “on the spot” conversions were the fruit of her precious Carmelite “desert” vocation. The world says, “what a waste!”, but Our Lord says “My beloved!”                                          

Mental Prayer, The Law and Silence:

BUT WHEN THOU SHALT PRAY, ENTER INTO THY CHAMBER, AND HAVING SHUT THE DOOR, PRAY TO THY FATHER IN SECRET: AND THY FATHER WHO SEETH IN SECRET WILL REWARD THEE.

~MATTHEW 6:6~

The rule of Saint Albert of Jerusalem will be strictly observed, edited to be lived outside of life in common, as an anchoress. A Carmelite Hermit’s entire day is shrouded in prayer and the studying of the Laws of Holy Mother Church. Charity is the fulfillment of the Law and with that, apart from the two hours of mental prayer in the morning and the evening, Divine Office and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, it is the duty of a bride of Christ to constantly be thinking of Our Lady and Christ Crucified in all she does. 

Those Two must become her identity, her reason for rising in the morning and the reason for laying down her head at the day’s end. Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection said he would not so much as pick up a piece of straw on the ground if it were not done for pure love of God. The life of a Carmelite Hermitess must be filled with some kind of work; never being idle, but ever letting her soul rest in Jesus and Mary while she works. Devotions such as Ignatian Meditation and Lectio Divina are considered too “complex” for a Carmelite; it is really much simpler. 

It is a seeing, a being in constant conversation with the Beloved. It is setting aside the imagination, stilling the faculties and remembering the presence of that King and Queen resting in the very center of our souls, as if in a tabernacle. Brother Lawrence was so adamant on this “practice of the presence of God” that he said he no longer believed in God; he SAW God.

IN SILENCE AND IN HOPE SHALL YOUR STRENGTH BE.

~CARMELITE RULE~

Silence is something the world will never understand, but as Our Holy Father John of the Cross writes, it is God’s first language. Our Lord’s voice is a soft whisper which can only be heard in the silence of our hearts. Exterior silence is the perfect atmosphere for this interior practice. This is a life of no longer “conversing with men, but with angels” (Our Lord to Our Holy Mother Teresa). Trials and sorrow are saved to share with Our Lord and Lady alone. Apart from a learned confessor, sorrow is seen as an opportunity to go first and foremost to the Beloved, to share those trials with Him. Only in this, does one truly learn the power of silence. Before Mental Prayer, Our Holy Mother gave her daughters twenty minutes to prepare for the hour of prayer, with the reading of scripture. Even though our day is based on sacred scripture: the chanting of the psalms, the lessons and gospel at daily Mass, we come to know our Bridegroom by reading His Law and living it to its’ full splendor and capacity. Conversing with Our Lord and reading His word must be in-sync and in full harmony.

WHEN THERE WAS TUMULT IN THE CHURCH AFTER THE GREAT PERSECUTIONS AROUND THE YEAR 300, [CAUSING] THE FIRST WAVE [OF EREMITICAL VOCATIONS], AND AGAIN AROUND THE YEAR 1000, [CAUSING] THE SECOND WAVE, LAY PEOPLE AND MONKS GUIDED BY THE HOLY GHOST LEFT THEIR HOMES AND MONASTERIES TO SEEK OUT SOLITARY PLACES IN THE DESERT TO PRAY AND REGAIN THEIR SOLEMNITY AND FERVOR. AND SO, EREMITICAL LIFE WAS BORN.

Daily Chaplets of Reparation:

Desired Horarium: (Only activities and prayers said in common will be meals, the divine office, act of oblation and specific chaplets of reparation)

 5:45am rise

6am Angelus, Saint Philomena Chaplet offered for Sister Lucy Truth, and Prime in common

Mental prayer (in cell)

Terce (in common)

Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to Priest’s schedule ( Terce and Mental will be before or after the Sacrifice depending on the Mass time)

Act of Oblation after Mass for the Triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart, in common, followed by Saint Therese Chaplet offered for the Consecration of Russia, Restoration of the Papacy and the future prophesied King of France

Breakfast in Common

Work Period

12pm Sext, Angelus in common

Dinner in common, Prayer for Benefactors, and dishes

Siesta or Work Period (“I sleep, but my heart watches” Canticle of Canticles)

3pm, None and Divine Mercy Chaplet, in common, offered for the mission of Elijah and Henoch. Holy Rosary alone.

Spiritual Reading

Vespers 5pm in common

Hour Mental Prayer (in cell)

6:30pm Supper in common, Prayer for Benefactors, and dishes

Examine, Compline and Asperges in common. Seven Sorrows Rosary (alone) offered for the Triumph of Mary’s Heart and the universal spread of Her First Saturday Devotion.

Retire

Midnight, rise! Matins, Lauds, Chaplet of the Holy Face of Jesus for the conversion of the Jews to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church in common. Retire again until 5:45am.

WE CANNOT FOR A MOMENT DOUBT THE POWER OF PRAYER. THINK OF EXODUS, WHEN MOSES STAYED TO PRAY WHILE JOSHUA WAS SENT TO BATTLE. MOSES NOTICED THAT WHEN HIS HANDS WERE LIFTED IN PRAYER, THEY WERE WINNING THE BATTLE, AND WHEN HIS HANDS WERE LOWERED, BEGAN TO SUFFER DEFEAT. JOSHUA UNDERSTOOD THIS POWER OF PRAYER, AS HE SENT SOME OF HIS MEN UP TO HOLD UP THE ARMS OF MOSES. SUCH WAS THE POWER OF ONE MAN IN THE SITE OF GOD THE FATHER.

Edited Rule of Saint Albert of Jerusalem adopted for the Sister Martrys:

That Our Lady of Mount Carmel be Prioress, and to Her, under Four Vows: Poverty, Chastity, Obedience and the Marian Vow for the Triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart and the defeat of anti-christ under Her triumph. And as Prior, Christ the King through the priest, your Holy Fathers Saint Elijah, Henoch Maximilian Kolbe. 

To receive Places or Houses. 

You will be able to have a single hermitage with several cells for the sister martrys, a monastery or separate hermitage or other places where they will be given to you convenient and laid out for the observation of your Religion according to which it will be of easy and accessible to a Traditional Latin Mass, with a priest who celebrates using the pre-1955 Rites. 

Religious Cell 

Besides that, at the place that you have chosen or stated to reside, you will have a cell preferable inside the hermitage that is separate from the rest of the residence. 

That you have a small Refectory where the sister martyrs will gather. 

What has been given to you in alms, you will eat in the refectory, and however some book of the Holy Scriptures will be read where it can be conveniently done, other holy works, in silence and on special feast days Gregorian Chant, Sacred Polyphony or classical music.

Let each one remain in her cell, or near it, meditating day and night in the law of God, and watching in prayer, unless he is occupied in other just occupations. 

Canonical Hours

Those who know how to say the Canonical Hours with the Priests must say them according to the Rules and Statutes of the Holy Fathers and the approved custom of the Church. And those who do not know them will say instead of Matins twenty-five times the Father noster, except Sundays and solemn feasts, on which days we command that they say for Matins twice the said number of twenty-five Father noster; for Lauds seven times; and for all other Hours, each seven times, except at Vespers where. they will say fifteen. Divine Office will be recited in common. 

That you don’t have to have anything clean

     Let no Religious say that he has anything of his own; but it is necessary that all things be common to them and that what they will need be distributed to each of them by means of the Priest or the Religious who will be for this by him deputy, taking into account the age and the needs of a each. 

What they may have in common

You may have donkeys or mules, as your necessity requires, and some cattle or fowl for your food. 

From the Oratory and Divine Service

That we make an Oratory in the hermitage as best and most conveniently as possible, where you will assemble every day to recite the Divine Office, where it can be done conveniently. 

From the Fasting of the sister martyrs

From the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross until Easter Day, you shall fast every day except Sundays, unless sickness or weakness of the body or other just cause gives cause for leaving the fast, because necessity has no law. 

Abstinence from flesh

    You shall not eat flesh [meat] except to cure some disease or weakness. And especially since you will have to beg a lot of times on the roads, you will be able to go out of your houses to be in charge of your hosts, eat soup and vegetables or other things cooked with flesh, and on the sea you can eat flesh. 

Exhortations

And especially since the life of man on earth is only temptation and those who wish to live religiously in Jesus Christ have to suffer persecution and the devil your adversary whirls like a roaring lion, seeking whom to devour, try with all your care to clothe yourself with the weapons of good, that you may resist the ambushes of the enemy. You will gird your loins with a chastity belt. Fortify your interior with good thoughts, because it is written: Holy thought will keep you. Put on the breastplate of righteousness, that with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might you may love God your Lord and your neighbor as yourselves. Arm yourselves everywhere with the shield of faith, with which you can deaden all the arrows of fire that the enemy shoots at you: for without faith it is impossible to please God. Bear in mind the helmet of salvation and grace, so that you expect your salvation only from Jesus your Saviour, who saves his people from their sins. May the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, always remain and persevere abundantly in your mouth and in your hearts, so that everything you do may be in his name. 

Hand work 

You will do some work or work with your hands, so that the devil finds you always occupied and that he has no entry into your souls, using your idleness as a door. You have for this a good example and teaching of doctrine in the apostle Saint Paul, through whose mouth our Lord Jesus Christ spoke and, having been established to preach and teach the Gentiles in faith and truth, you cannot fail by following it. So he says thus: We have been among you in labors and weariness, working day and night not to bore you, not that we have the power and permission to ask, but to give you form and example, so that you imitate us; for being among you others, we announced to you and preached every day that he who would not work should not eat. We have learned that there are some among you who are worried and doing nothing: we admonish and pray in Our Lord Jesus Christ to these people that they eat their bread working in silence. – This path is good and holy, go through it. 

Silence

The Apostle recommends silence to us, when he recommends that we work in it, and as the Prophet says, the adornment and finery of justice is silence. And in another place: Your strength will be in silence and in hope. For this we decree and order that we keep silence as soon as Compline is said until after Prime of the following day and the rest of the time, how much we do not keep silence with such great rigor, we must very diligently avoid talking too much; for as it is written, and we also learn it well by experience, sin is not lacking in much talk; and in another place: He who speaks without consideration will receive many evils; and in another: He who uses many words damages his soul. And in the Gospel Our Lord says: Men will give an account on the day of judgment for every idle word they have spoken. Let everyone therefore make for himself weights and scales for his words, and a bridle for his mouth, lest his tongue cause him to stagger and fall, and his fall not be incurable to death; and take heed, with the Prophet, to the path which you take, lest you sin with your tongue: and keep silence with great care and diligence, in which consists the observance of justice. 

Exhortation to Religious to bring honor to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

You Religious too, honor your Mary with complete humility, recognizing Her for Jesus Christ, since it is Jesus Christ who established Her over you and told the prelates of the Church : Whoever hears you, he hears me: and he who despises you despises me; so that by this means God will not judge you by this contempt, but that by the obedience that you will render, you deserve the reward of Beatitude. We have written these things briefly, ordering the form and rule of your way of life: and if any man do more, God will reward him when he comes to the judgment of the world. Use discretion, however, which is the rule of virtues. 

Done in the city of Leon, in the year of the Lord one thousand two hundred and forty-eight, the fifth year of the Pontificate of Innocent IV, the first of September. Let no one in the world be permitted to infringe these letters confirmed by us, nor to oppose them with senseless boldness. Anyone who dares to do so knows that he incurs ipso facto the curse of Almighty God and of the blessed Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Given in the city of Leon, the first of September, the fifth year of our Pontificate

*Important to note that the traditional definition of fasting was always, “without water”. Holy Mother Church only requires two days of the year, especially following the old 1917 code of Canon Law to go without food, and ONLY water, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Easter Vigil, before the Liturgical “suicide” (Pope Pius XII’s word, not ours), had twelve prophecies and now there is a measly maximum of nine, but with a minimum of three (three??). You still want to sit there and say Our Lord’s sacrifice isn’t being attacked? Did you also know that when Pope Pius XII was ill, he was taken advantage of and the Eucharistic fast was changed to three hours (now a pathetic one hour).

Again, do not sit there and deny this is not an outright attack on the Eucharist. The traditional Eucharistic fast, which was in place before the changes initiated by Pope Pius XII, involved a complete abstinence from all food and drink, including water, from midnight until the reception of Holy Communion. This practice was a long-standing tradition in the Church, with roots tracing back to the 4th century. The 1917 Code of Canon Law mandated a Eucharistic fast from midnight until the reception of Holy Communion( the Carmelite Sister Martyrs will observe this), requiring abstention from both food and liquids, inclusive of water. Everything has become lax, and that’s a fact.

Breakfast will NEVER be consumed before Mass, and if Mass is ever celebrated in the evening (the reason why evening Masses were unheard of before Vatican II and the Novus Ordo), the Sisters will either fast that day, or simply not receive the Host. The saints often refrained from Holy Communion, because it is actually a holy thing to do, so we never get too comfortable with the glorious Sacred Species we are PRIVILEGED to consume. Dr. Taylor Marshall gives an excellent explanation about why this is practiced.

The only aspect of Teresa’s Discalced Constitutions will we follow is her Holy Habit Pattern outside of wearing the Seven Sorrows Rosary in place of the Holy Rosary.

Tunic (2) 

“That habit should be made out of serge, heavy woolen fabric of a smoky [brown] color, no dye used, called Spanish “Xerga” or “Sayal”. The habit should be as spare as possible. The sleeves should be straight and of equal length. The habit should not have pleats [a double or multiple fold in a garment or other item made of cloth, held by stitching the top or side], be of equal length all around, and should reach down to the feet.” 

Scapular (2) 

“The Scapular should be made of the same material, four fingers shorter than the Habit.” ~Carmelite Constitutions~ 

Mantle (1)

“The Choir Mantle is also to made of serge, but white [off white cream color], and equal to the Scapular in length. For this Mantle as little cloth as possible should be used in order to avoid superfluity.”

Coifs (4) 

The coif does not look exactly like the ones below, but only to show that it is the under garment headwear where the veils are attached. 

“The coif should be made of hemp, or rough linen, without pleats. The Scapular is to be worn over the coif.”

First Veils (4) 

Are Tucked into the Scapular and are sewn on to the coif. First Veils are a great deal shorter than the second veils and are tucked into the Scapular. They are made exactly the same way as the second veils, only shorter, and not sewn on to the coif. 

Second Veils (4) 

The second veils are simply thrown over the first veils, as shown in the photos and have a crease down the top of the head. 

Novenas and Prayers to Our Nine Patrons: 

Christ the King, Last Sunday in October, Novena:

Almighty and merciful God, You break the power of evil and make all things new in Your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise You.

(State intention)

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Recite One Our Father, One Hail Mary and One Glory Be per day followed by the Novena Prayer:

O Lord our God, You alone are the Most Holy King and Ruler of all nations.
We pray to You, Lord, in the great expectation of receiving from You, O Divine King, mercy, peace, justice and all good things.
Protect, O Lord our King, our families and the land of our birth.
Guard us we pray Most Faithful One.
Protect us from our enemies and from Your Just Judgment
Forgive us, O Sovereign King, our sins against you.
Jesus, You are a King of Mercy.
We have deserved Your Just Judgment
Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us.
We trust in Your Great Mercy.
O most awe-inspiring King, we bow before You and pray;
May Your Reign, Your Kingdom, be recognized on earth. Amen.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary:

In 1805, Pope Pius VII instituted the feast of the Most Pure Heart of Mary; it was not until 1944 that Pope Pius XII would add to the Roman Rite Calendar, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (August 22nd). This glorious feast of the Most Pure Heart has been practiced since 1647 by Saint John Eudes and quickly gained popularity all over France. Eudes, soon after composed the prayers for the Divine Office and gained approval of it in 1648; it was eventually adopted by many religious congregations in his native France. Now, this ancient feast is celebrated on the Saturday after Corpus Christi following the feast of the Sacred Heart. It is no mere coincidence these two principle feasts are placed side by side (just as the First Friday is next to the First Saturday). This should evermore remind us of Our Lord’s ardent request at Fatima, that He desires to see devotion to His Mother’s Heart placed beside devotion to His Sacred Heart. For Their Heart(s) truly beat as One.

DAILY PRAYER DURING NOVENA:

O’ Queen of Heaven, at Fatima You promised salvation to those who embrace true devotion to Your Immaculate Heart; today we come to Your Majesty ready to make reparation for all the sins committed against Thy Most Pure Heart. You see, Good Mother, we only desire to make You known and loved; cherished and chosen. We desire with Your Chaste Son, to see Your Sorrowful Heart triumph. ~Amen~

 Jesus, it is for love of You, the conversion of sinners and as an act of reparation for all the sins made against the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Three times).

DAY 1- DEVOTION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY:

Mary, Your Heart is our daily food, our nourishment. In It, we find God, and God alone. In our lifetime, we beg the Good God to place devotion to Your Heart beside devotion to the Sacred and Divine Heart of His Son. Place in our hearts the yearning and love of the feast(s) of Your Most Pure Heart and Your Most Immaculate Heart. As a Queen sits next to Her King, may we see Your pierced Heart placed beside His Eucharistic Heart. Our love for You and Your Perfect Heart is weak and imperfect, from this day forth we come to Your Queenship ready to love You evermore. We also place in Your care the following requests if it be in line with the Divine Will (mention your intention).

-Recite daily prayer-

DAY 2- THE Papacy:

Dearest Queen, at Fatima you said the Holy Father would have much to suffer. In the vision, You showed a future pope and a bishop dressed in white, Lucia said: “we had the impression it was the Holy Father.” This pope would be seen martyred in a half ruined city among other religious. The Vatican has kept secret Your Majesty’s words explaining the vision. As we walk forward in the fog, we pray that The Holy Father will reveal the secret in it’s entirety so we can better understand the meaning of this mystery. A vision still unfulfilled. We know disasters can be averted if we entrust ourselves to Your Immaculate Heart, and with little Jacinta, offer up every sacrifice for the Holy Father to receive the grace he so urgently needs to heed Your requests from 1917.

We also place in Your care the following requests if it be in line with the Divine Will (mention your intention).

-Recite daily prayer-

DAY 3- ALL THE BISHOPS OF THE WORLD:

Good Mother, at Akita You warned that there would come a time where Holy Church would see cardinal apposing cardinal; bishop against bishop. It would appear we are in those times; we come to You this day to place in the tender care of Your Immaculate Heart all the bishops of the world. You also warned priests devoted to Your Queenship would be scorned and oppressed by their confreres.We beg of You to obtain the grace for these shepherds, to be faithful and pleasing to Your Divine Son- even amid persecution. At Fatima, Your Grace warned that there would be an apostasy in the Church starting at the top of the Catholic hierarchy. We are indeed, at present, suffering a diabolical disorientation and many souls are being led astray by our bishops. May You open their eyes and hearts to Your Pure Heart, Church teachings and loyalty to Your ignored Fatima message.

We also place in Your care the following requests if it be in line with the Divine Will (mention your intention).

-Recite daily prayer-

DAY 4- FIRST SATURDAY DEVOTION:

Devout Virgin, we come before Your throne of grace ready to console Your Most Pure Heart. Our Lord told Sister Lucia that His Heart was moved to establish a devotion that would remove the five principle thorns that pierce Our Mother’s Broken Heart:

1. The blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception.
2. Against Her Perpetual Virginity.
3. Against Her Divine Maternity, refusing at the same time to accept Her as Mother of all mankind.
4. Those who try publicly to implant in the children’s hearts, indifference, contempt and even hate against this Immaculate Mother.
5. Those who insult Her directly in Her sacred images.

The thought of causing You anymore pain is unbearable, therefore, we wish to be faithful in observing the practice of the First Saturday Devotion, not just for the first five consecutive Saturdays, but ALL to come. With Lucia of Fatima, may we echo her cry:

I never feel so happy as when First Saturday arrives…

We also place in Your care the following requests if it be in line with the Divine Will (mention your intention).

-Recite daily prayer-

DAY 5- CONSECRATION OF RUSSIA:

Sister Lucia lamented,

The Consecration of Russia has not been done as Our Lady demanded it. I was not able to say it because I did not have permission of the Holy See.

Gentle Mother, we know that the triumph of Your Heart followed by the sweet era of peace can only come with the proper consecration of Russia. This day, we come to Your Ladyship and pray specifically for the Holy Father to come in union with all the bishops of the world on one solemn occasion and consecrate Russia to Your Immaculate Heart. With Lucia we cry from the depths of our hearts,

No! Not the world! Russia! Russia!

The evil one knows that when this consecration is done, Your Heart will triumph at that moment. We know this, because when Your servant Lucia asked Our Lord why He would not convert Russia without the pope, He answered that through that particular Consecration, Jesus wants the whole Church to recognize that act as a triumph of the Immaculate Heart. Our good God does not need to work through His priests, but He is showing the authority bestowed upon His clergy, in particular the Holy Father and the bishops. The power they can possess when they are in union. What better way to show this great unity, O’ Blessed Queen, than to come together for this Consecration!

We also place in Your care the following requests if it be in line with the Divine Will (mention your intention).

-Recite daily prayer-

DAY 6- OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY:

O’ Great Lady of the Rosary, we know this triumphant weapon of prayer resembles the sword. How can we go to battle against principalities and powers unarmed? You introduced Yourself at Fatima with this glorious title and we come to Your Feet crying on bended knee: Hail Mary! We desire to be in the army of Your Most Pure, Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart; may we never put down the sword but ever carry it at our side all the days of our lives.

We also place in Your care the following requests if it be in line with the Divine Will (mention your intention).

-Recite daily prayer-

  DAY 7- OUR LADY OF SEVEN SORROWS:

Mother crucified in Thy Heart, we cry with Thee; we understand that devotion to Your Heart means devotion to Your Sorrows. The Church has proclaimed that this very name earned You the title of “Co-redemptrix”. It is a great wonder, O’ Virgin of  virgins, that Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is the Patron of exorcists; is it not Your tears that make things clean? If “to consecrate” means “to be made clean”, certainly a Consecration of Russia can be seen as that poor nation being made holy with Your precious tears, by transforming this Republic into a mighty instrument of Your Heart. Mary, joining our tears to Yours we beg of Your Grace to wash the world of it’s sins, crimes and offenses made against God the Father. With Your Divine Son we wish to avert God’s justice and bring upon the world His great and unfathomable mercy, which can only come through Your Humble Heart. We meditate this day on the great mystery of Your having appeared on October 13th 1917 as Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, while at Fatima.

We also place in Your care the following requests if it be in line with the Divine Will (mention your intention).

-Recite daily prayer-

DAY 8- OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL:

“Star of the Sea”, Our Carmelite Father Simon Stock called You; we thank Your Highness for the glorious gift of Your Scapular of Mount Carmel. As it was revealed to a holy soul, the three things Satan fears the most: The Holy Name of Jesus, the Holy Name of Mary and the Scapular of Carmel. In no other sacred object do You promise more certainty of salvation as You do for wearing the Scapular. O’ Mary; You showed Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta the vision of Hell, but immediately reminded the world how to avoid going there, simply by wearing Your Carmelite garment, which as we know is the sign of our being consecrated to Your Immaculate Heart. It is no mere coincidence that you appeared on October 13th to the three fortunate seers as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Like the Rosary, we promise to never be without our “armor”, we need the sword as much as we need our shield. As Lucia said, the Holy Rosary and the Scapular of Carmel are inseparable.

One day through the Scapular and the Rosary I will save the world. ~Our Lady to Saint Simon Stock~

We also place in Your care the following requests if it be in line with the Divine Will (mention your intention).

-Recite daily prayer-

DAY 9- THIRD SECRET OF FATIMA:

On this final day, O’ Valiant Queen, we recognize You as Virgo Potens (Virgin Most Powerful). It has been confirmed by Church officials that the third secret of Fatima contained two envelopes: one of the vision of a Holy Father martyred, and the other containing Your words explaining this prophecy of the pope. As the latter has yet to be revealed, we understand that it’s publication is long overdue, as You requested it’s contents be released in 1960. We come to Your Queenship, today, in 2020 knowing that it is late, but asking that You will have mercy on the clergy who keep it hidden. Give them the grace and light to understand that Fatima is the message and remedy for our times and without it, Your Immaculate Heart cannot triumph if Your warnings for mankind are not heeded. The Pope and bishops have only one task: the Consecration of Russia; we lay faithful: Your First Saturday Devotion. As we all have a role to play, Good Mother, we ask pardon of the sins made against Thee, and thank Your Most Pure Heart for all the graces you have bestowed on us.

We also place in Your care the following requests if it be in line with the Divine Will (mention your intention).

-Recite daily prayer above-

FEAST DAY OF THE MOST PURE HEART OF MARY- FINAL PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Mary, on this most joyous occasion and feast day we offer ourselves to You completely, like Therese, as little victims of holocaust- to bring about the triumph of Your Most Pure and Immaculate Heart. Like the sixteen Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne, who offered themselves as victims as a community to end the French Revolution’s “Reign of Terror”. Lovely Maiden of Heaven, Our Lord heard those requests, please accept ours as well, as we truly desire only one thing: to love Thee as You deserve to be loved! As Jacinta said,

Tell everybody that God grants us graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary; that people are to ask Her for them; and that the Heart of Jesus wants the Immaculate Heart of Mary to be venerated at His side. Tell them also to pray to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for peace, since God has entrusted it to Her. If I could only put into the hearts of all, the fire that is burning within my own heart, and that makes me love the Hearts of Jesus and Mary so very much . . .

Saint Joseph:

Day One: Foster Father of Jesus 

Saint Joseph, you were privileged to share in the mystery of the Incarnation as the foster-father of Jesus. Mary alone was directly connected with the fulfillment of the mystery, in that She gave Her consent to Christ’s conception and allowed the Holy Spirit to form the sacred humanity of Jesus from Her blood. You had a part in this mystery in an indirect manner, by fulfilling the condition necessary for the Incarnation — the protection of Mary’s virginity before and during your married life with Her. You made the virginal marriage possible, and this was a part of God’s plan, foreseen, willed, and decreed from all eternity. In a more direct manner you shared in the support, upbringing, and protection of the Divine Child as His foster-father. For this purpose the Heavenly Father gave you a genuine heart of a father — a heart full of love and self-sacrifice. With the toil of your hands you were obliged to offer protection to the Divine Child, to procure for Him food, clothing, and a home. You were truly the saint of the holy childhood of Jesus — the living created providence which watched over the Christ-Child. When Herod sought the Child to put Him to death, the Heavenly Father sent an angel but only as a messenger, giving orders for the flight; the rest He left entirely in your hands. It was that fatherly love which was the only refuge that received and protected the Divine Child. Your fatherly love carried Him through the desert into Egypt until all enemies were removed. Then on your arms the Child returned to Nazareth to be nourished and provided for during many years by the labor of your hands. Whatever a human son owes to a human father for all the benefits of his up-bringing and support, Jesus owed to you, because you were to Him a foster-father, teacher, and protector. You served the Divine Child with a singular love. God gave you a heart filled with heavenly, supernatural love — a love far deeper and more powerful than any natural father’s love could be. You served the Divine Child with great unselfishness, without any regard to self-interest, but not without sacrifices. You did not toil for yourself, but you seemed to be an instrument intended for the benefit of others, to be put aside as soon as it had done its word, for you disappeared from the scene once the childhood of Jesus had passed. You were the shadow of the Heavenly Father not only as the earthly representative of the authority of the Father, but also by means of your fatherhood — which only appeared to be natural — you were to hide for a while the divinity of Jesus. What a wonderfully sublime and divine vocation was yours — the loving Child which you carried in your arms, and loved and served so faithfully, had God in Heaven as Father and was Himself God! Yours is a very special rank among the saints of the Kingdom of God, because you were so much a part of the very life of the Word of God made Man. In your house at Nazareth and under your care the redemption of mankind was prepared. What you accomplished, you did for us. You are not only a powerful and great saint in the Kingdom of God, but a benefactor of the whole of Christendom and mankind. Your rank in the Kingdom of God, surpassing far in dignity and honor of all the angels, deserves our very special veneration, love, and gratitude. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of having been chosen by God to be the foster-father of His Divine Son. As a token of your own gratitude to God for this your greatest privilege, obtain for me the grace of a very devoted love for Jesus Christ, my God and my Savior. Help me to serve Him with some of the self-sacrificing love and devotion which you had while on this earth with Him. Grant that through your intercession with Jesus, your foster-Son, I may reach the degree of holiness God has destined for me, and save my soul. Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: 

(Mention your request). 

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. 

MEMORARE 

Day Two: Virginal Husband of Mary 

Saint Joseph, I honor you as the true husband of Mary. 

Scripture says: ‘Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, and of her was born Jesus who is called Christ’ (Matt. 1:16). Your marriage to Mary was a sacred contract by which you and Mary gave yourselves to each other. Mary really belonged to you with all She was and had. You had a right to Her love and obedience; and no other person so won Her esteem, obedience, and love. You were also the protector and witness of Mary’s virginity. By your marriage you gave to each other your virginity, and also the mutual right over it — a right to safeguard the other’s virtue. This mutual virginity also belonged to the divine plan of the Incarnation, for God sent His angel to assure you that Motherhood and Virginity in Mary could be united. This union of marriage not only brought you into daily familiar association with Mary, the loveliest of God’s creatures, but also enabled you to share with Her a mutual exchange of spiritual goods. And Mary found Her edification in your calm, humble, and deep virtue, purity, and sanctity. What a great honor comes to you from this close union with Her whom the Son of God calls Mother and whom He declared the Queen of heaven and earth! Whatever Mary had belonged by right to you also, and this included Her Son, even though He had been given to Her by God in a wonderful way. Jesus belonged to you as His legal father. Your marriage was the way which God chose to have Jesus introduced into the world, a great divine mystery from which all benefits have come to us. God the Son confided the guardianship and the support of His Immaculate Mother to your care. Mary’s life was that of the Mother of the Savior, who did not come upon earth to enjoy honors and pleasures, but to redeem the world by hard work, suffering, and the cross. You were the faithful companion, support, and comforter of the Mother of Sorrows. How loyal you were to her in poverty, journeying, work, and pain. Your love for Mary was based upon your esteem for Her as Mother of God. After God and the Divine Child, you loved no one as much as Her. Mary responded to this love. She submitted to your guidance with naturalness and easy grace and childlike confidence. The Holy Spirit Himself was the bond of the great love which united your hearts. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the virginal husband of Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to love Jesus with all my heart, as you did, and love Mary with some of the tenderness and loyalty with which you loved Her. Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: 

(Mention your request). 

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. 

MEMORARE 

Day Three: Man Chosen By The Blessed Trinity 

Saint Joseph, you were the man chosen by God the Father. He selected you to be His representative on earth, hence He granted you all the graces and blessings you needed to be His worthy representative. You were the man chosen by God the Son. Desirous of a worthy foster-father, He added His own riches and gifts, and above all, His love. The true measure of your sanctity is to be judged by your imitation of Jesus. You were entirely consecrated to Jesus, working always near Him, offering Him your virtues, your work, your sufferings, your very life. Jesus lived in you perfectly so that you were transformed into Him. In this lies your special glory, and the keynote of your sanctity. Hence, after Mary, you are the holiest of the saints. You were chosen by the Holy Spirit. He is the mutual Love of the Father and the Son — the heart of the Holy Trinity. In His wisdom He draws forth all creatures from nothing, guides them to their end in showing them their destiny and giving them the means to reach it. Every vocation and every fulfillment of a vocation proceeds from the Holy Spirit. As a foster-father of Jesus and head of the Holy Family, you had an exalted and most responsible vocation — to open the way for the redemption of the world and to prepare for it by the education and guidance of the youth of the God-Man. In this work you cooperated as the instrument of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the guide; you obeyed and carried out the works. How perfectly you obeyed the guidance of the God of Love! The words of the Old Testament which Pharaoh spoke concerning Joseph of Egypt can well be applied to you: ‘Can we find such another man, that is full of the spirit of God, or a wise man like to him?’ (Gen. 41:38). No less is your share in the divine work of God than was that of Egypt. You now reign with your foster-Son and see reflected in the mirror of God’s Wisdom the Divine Will and what is of benefit to our souls. Saint Joseph, I thank God for having made you the man specially chosen by Him. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to imitate your virtues so that I too may be pleasing to the Heart of God. Help me to give myself entirely to His service and to the accomplishment of His Holy Will, that one day I may reach heaven and be eternally united to God as you are. Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: 

(Mention your request). 

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. 

MEMORARE 

Day Four: Faithful Servant 

Saint Joseph, you lived for one purpose — to be the personal servant of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Your noble birth and ancestry, the graces and gifts, so generously poured out on you by God — all this was yours to serve our Lord better. Every thought, word, and action of yours was a homage to the love and glory of the Incarnate Word. You fulfilled most faithfully the role of a good and faithful servant who cared for the House of God. How perfect was your obedience! Your position in the Holy Family obliged you to command, but besides being the foster-father of Jesus, you were also His disciple. For almost thirty years, you watched the God-Man display a simple and prompt obedience, and you grew to love and practice it very perfectly yourself. Without exception you submitted to God, to the civil rulers, and to the voice of your conscience. When God sent an angel to tell you to care for Mary, you obeyed in spite of the mystery which surrounded her motherhood. When you were told to flee into Egypt under painful conditions, you obeyed without the slightest word of complaint. When God advised you in a dream to return to Nazareth, you obeyed. In every situation your obedience was as simple as your faith, as humble as your heart, as prompt as your love. It neglected nothing; it took in every command. You had the virtue of perfect devotedness, which marks a good servant. Every moment of your life was consecrated to the service of our Lord: sleep, rest, work, pain. Faithful to your duties, you sacrificed everything unselfishly, even cheerfully. You would have sacrificed even the happiness of being with Mary. The rest and quiet of Nazareth was sacrificed at the call of duty. Your entire life was one generous giving, even to the point of being ready to die in proof of your love for Jesus and Mary. With true unselfish devotedness you worked without praise or reward. But God wanted you to be in a certain sense a cooperator in the Redemption of the world. He confided to you the care of nourishing and defending the Divine Child. He wanted you to be poor and to suffer because He destined you to be the foster-father of His Son, who came into the world to save men by His sufferings and death, and you were to share in His suffering. In all of these important tasks, the Heavenly Father always found you a faithful servant! Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being God’s faithful servant. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to be a faithful servant of God as you were. Help me to share, as you did, the perfect obedience of Jesus, who came not to do His Will, but the Will of His Father; to trust in the Providence of God, knowing that if I do His Will, He will provide for all my needs of soul and body; to be calm in my trials and to leave it to our Lord to free me from them when it pleases Him to do so. And help me to imitate your generosity, for there can be no greater reward here on earth than the joy and honor of being a faithful servant of God. Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: 

(Mention your request). 

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. 

 MEMORARE 

Day Five: Patron of the Church 

Saint Joseph, God has appointed you patron of the Catholic Church because you were the head of the Holy Family, the starting-point of the Church. You were the father, protector, guide and support of the Holy Family. For that reason you belong in a particular way to the Church, which was the purpose of the Holy Family’s existence. I believe that the Church is the family of God on earth. Its government is represented in priestly authority which consists above all in its power over the true Body of Christ, really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, thus continuing Christ’s life in the Church. From this power, too, comes authority over the Mystical Body of Christ, the members of the Church — the power to teach and govern souls, to reconcile them with God, to bless them, and to pray for them. You have a special relationship to the priesthood because you possessed a wonderful power over our Savior Himself. Your life and office were of a priestly function and are especially connected with the Blessed Sacrament. To some extent you were the means of bringing the Redeemer to us — as it is the priest’s function to bring Him to us in the Mass — for you reared Jesus, supported, nourished, protected and sheltered Him. You were prefigured by the patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his people. But how much greater than he were you! Joseph of old gave the Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. You nourished, and with the most tender care, preserved for the Church Him who is the Bread of Heaven and who gives eternal life in Holy Communion. God has appointed you patron of the Church because the glorious title of patriarch also falls by special right to you. The patriarchs were the heads of families of the Chosen People, and theirs was the honor to prepare for the Savior’s incarnation. You belonged to this line of patriarchs, for you were one of the last descendants of the family of David and one of the nearest forebears of Christ according to the flesh. As husband of Mary, the Mother of God, and as the foster-father of the Savior, you were directly connected with Christ. Your vocation was especially concerned with the Person of Jesus; your entire activity centered about Him. You are, therefore, the closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New, which took its rise with the Holy Family of Nazareth. Because the New Testament surpasses the Old in every respect, you are the patriarch of patriarchs, the most venerable, exalted, and amiable of all the patriarchs. Through Mary, the Church received Christ, and therefore the Church is indebted to Her. But the Church owes her debt of gratitude and veneration to you also, for you were the chosen one who enabled Christ to enter into the world according to the laws of order and fitness. It was by you that the patriarchs and the prophets and the faithful reaped the fruit of God’s promise. Alone among them all, you saw with your own eyes and possessed the Redeemer promised to the rest of men. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the Patron of the Church. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to live always as a worthy member of this Church, so that through it I may save my soul. Bless the priests, the religious, and the laity of the Catholic Church, that they may ever grow in God’s love and faithfulness in His service. Protect the Church from the evils of our day and from the persecution of her enemies. Through your powerful intercession may the church successfully accomplish its mission in this world — the glory of God and the salvation of souls! Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: 

(Mention your request). 

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. 

MEMORARE 

Day Six: Patron of Families 

Saint Joseph, I venerate you as the gentle head of the Holy Family. The Holy Family was the scene of your life’s work in its origin, in its guidance, in its protection, in your labor for Jesus and Mary, and even in your death in their arms. You lived, moved, and acted in the loving company of Jesus and Mary. The inspired writer describes your life at Nazareth in only a few words: ‘And (Jesus) went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them’ (Luke, 2:51). Yet these words tell of your high vocation here on earth, and the abundance of graces which filled your soul during those years spent in Nazareth. Your family life at Nazareth was all radiant with the light of divine charity. There was an intimate union of heart and mind among the members of your Holy Family. There could not have been a closer bond than that uniting you to Jesus, your foster-Son and to Mary, your most loving Wife. Jesus chose to fulfill toward you, His foster-father, all the duties of a faithful son, showing you every mark of honor and affection due to a parent. And Mary showed you all the signs of respect and love of a devoted Wife. You responded to this love and veneration from Jesus and Mary with feelings of deepest love and respect. You had for Jesus a true fatherly love, enkindled and kept aglow in your heart by the Holy Spirit. And you could not cease to admire the workings of grace in Mary’s soul, and this admiration caused the holy love which you had consecrated to Her on the day of your wedding grow stronger every day. God has made you a heavenly patron of family life because you sanctified yourself as head of the Holy Family and thus by your beautiful example sanctified family life. How peacefully and happily the Holy Family rested under the care of your fatherly rule, even in the midst of trials. You were the protector, counselor, and consolation of the Holy Family in every need. And just as you were the model of piety, so you gave us by your zeal, your earnestness and devout trust in God’s providence, and especially by your love, the example of labor according to the Will of God. You cherished all the experiences common to family life and the sacred memories of the life, sufferings, and joys in the company of Jesus and Mary. Therefore the family is dear to you as the work of God, and it is of the highest importance in your eyes to promote the honor of God and the well-being of man. In your loving fatherliness and unfailing intercession you are the patron and intercessor of families, and you deserve a place in every home. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of living in the Holy Family and being its head. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain God’s blessing upon my own family. Make our home the kingdom of Jesus and Mary — a kingdom of peace, of joy, and love. I also pray for all Christian families. Your help is needed in our day when God’s enemy has directed his attack against the family in order to desecrate and destroy it. In the face of these evils, as patron of families, be pleased to help; and as of old, you arose to save the Child and His Mother, so today arise to protect the sanctity of the home. Make our homes sanctuaries of prayer, of love, of patient sacrifice, and of work. May they be modeled after your own at Nazareth. Remain with us with Jesus and Mary, so that by your help we may obey the commandments of God and of the Church; receive the holy sacraments of God and of the Church; live a life of prayer; and foster religious instruction in our homes. Grant that we may be reunited in God’s Kingdom and eternally live in the company of the Holy Family in heaven. Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: 

(Mention your request). 

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. 

MEMORARE 

Day Seven: Patron of Workers 

Saint Joseph, you devoted your time at Nazareth to the work of a carpenter. It was the Will of God that you and your foster-Son should spend your days together in manual labor. What a beautiful example you set for the working classes! It was especially for the poor, who compose the greater part of mankind, that Jesus came upon earth, for in the synagogue of Nazareth, He read the words of Isaiah and referred them to Himself: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor…’ (Luke 4:18). It was God’s Will that you should be occupied with work common to poor people, that in this way Jesus Himself might ennoble it by inheriting it from you, His foster-father, and by freely embracing it. Thus our Lord teaches us that for the humbler class of workmen, He has in store His richest graces, provided they live content in the place God’s Providence has assigned them, and remain poor in spirit for He said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt. 5:3). The kind of work to which you devoted your time in the workshop of Nazareth offered you many occasions of practicing humility. You were privileged to see each day the example of humility which Jesus practiced — a virtue most pleasing to Him. He chose for His earthly surroundings not the courts of princes nor the halls of the learned, but a little workshop of Nazareth. Here you shared for many years the humble and hidden toiling of the God-Man. What a touching example for the worker of today! While your hands were occupied with manual work, your mind was turned to God in prayer. From the Divine Master, who worked along with you, you learned to work in the presence of God in the spirit of prayer, for as He worked He adored His Father and recommended the welfare of the world to Him, Jesus also instructed you in the wonderful truths of grace and virtue, for you were in close contact with Him who said of Himself, ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.’ As you were working at your trade, you were reminded of the greatness and majesty of God, who, as a most wise Architect, formed this vast universe with wonderful skill and limitless power. The light of divine faith that filled your mind, did not grow dim when you saw Jesus working as a carpenter. You firmly believed that the saintly Youth working beside you was truly God’s own Son. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to work side by side with Jesus in the carpenter shop of Nazareth. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to respect the dignity of labor and ever to be content with the position in life, however lowly, in which it may please Divine Providence to place me. Teach me to work for God and with God in the spirit of humility and prayer, as you did, so that I may offer my toil in union with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass as a reparation for my sins, and gain rich merit for heaven. Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: 

(Mention your request). 

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. 

MEMORARE 

Day Eight: Friend In Suffering 

Saint Joseph, your share of suffering was very great because of your close union with the Divine Savior. All the mysteries of His life were more or less mysteries of suffering. Poverty pressed upon you, and the cross of labor followed you everywhere. Nor were you spared domestic crosses, owing to misunderstandings in regard to the holiest and most cherished of all beings, Jesus and Mary, who were all to you. Keen must have been the suffering caused by the uncertainty regarding Mary’s virginity; by the bestowal of the name of Jesus, which pointed to future misfortune. Deeply painful must have been the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the disappearance of Jesus at the Paschal feast. To these sufferings were surely added interior sorrow at the sight of the sins of your own people. You bore all this suffering in a truly Christ-like manner, and in this you are our example. No sound of complaint or impatience escaped you — you were, indeed, the silent saint! You submitted to all in the spirit of faith, humility, confidence, and love. You cheerfully bore all in union with and for the Savior and His Mother, knowing well that true love is a crucified love. But God never forsook you in your trials. The trials, too, disappeared and were changed at last into consolation and joy. It seems that God had purposely intended your life to be filled with suffering as well as consolation to keep before my eyes the truth that my life on earth is but a succession of joys and sorrows, and that I must gratefully accept whatever God sends me, and during the time of consolation prepare for suffering. Teach me to bear my cross in the spirit of faith, of confidence, and of gratitude toward God. In a happy eternity, I shall thank God fervently for the sufferings which He deigned to send me during my pilgrimage on earth, and whichafter your example I endured with patience and heartfelt love for Jesus and Mary. You were truly the martyr of the hidden life. This was God’s Will, for the holier a person is, the more he is tried for the love and glory of God. If suffering is the flowering of God’s grace in a soul and the triumph of the soul’s love for God, being the greatest of saints after Mary, you suffered more than any of the martyrs. Because you have experienced the sufferings of this valley of tears, you are most kind and sympathetic toward those in need. Down through the ages souls have turned to you in distress and have always found you a faithful friend in suffering. You have graciously heard their prayers in their needs even though it demanded a miracle. Having been so intimately united with Jesus and Mary in life, your intercession with Them is most powerful. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to suffer for Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to bear my suffering patiently for love of Jesus and Mary. Grant that I may unite the sufferings, works and disappointments of life with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass, and share like you in Mary’s spirit of sacrifice. Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: 

(Mention your request). 

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. 

MEMORARE 

Day Nine: Patron of a Happy Death 

Saint Joseph, how fitting it was that at the hour of your death Jesus should stand at your bedside with Mary, the sweetness and hope of all mankind. You gave your entire life to the service of Jesus and Mary; at death you enjoyed the consolation of dying in Their loving arms. You accepted death in the spirit of loving submission to the Will of God, and this acceptance crowned your hidden life of virtue. Yours was a merciful judgment, for your foster-Son, for whom you had cared so lovingly, was your Judge, and Mary was your advocate. The verdict of the Judge was a word of encouragement to wait for His coming to Limbo, where He would shower you with the choicest fruits of the Redemption, and an embrace of grateful affection before you breathed forth your soul into eternity. You looked into eternity and to your everlasting reward with confidence. If our Savior blessed the shepherds, the Magi, Simeon, John the Baptist, and others, because they greeted His presence with devoted hearts for a brief passing hour, how much more did He bless you who have sanctified yourself for so many years in His company and that of His Mother? If Jesus regards every corporal and spiritual work of mercy, performed in behalf of our fellow men out of love for Him, as done to Himself, and promises heaven as a reward, what must have been the extent of His gratitude to you who in the truest sense of the word have received Him, given Him shelter, clothed, nourished, and consoled Him at the sacrifice of your strength and rest, and even your life, with a love which surpassed the love of all fathers. God really and personally made Himself your debtor. Our Divine Savior paid that debt of gratitude by granting you many graces in your lifetime, especially the grace of growing in love, which is the best and most perfect of all gifts. Thus at the end of your life your heart became filled with love, the fervor and longing of which your frail body could not resist. Your soul followed the triumphant impulse of your love and winged its flight from earth to bear the prophets and patriarchs in Limbo the glad tidings of the advent of the Redeemer. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to die in the arms of Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace of a happy death. Help me to spend each day in preparation for death. May I, too, accept death in the spirit of resignation to God’s Holy Will, and die, as you did, in the arms of Jesus, strengthened by Holy Viaticum, and in the arms of Mary, with Her rosary in my hand and Her name on my lips! Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: 

(Mention your request). 

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. 

MEMORARE 

Saint Michael and all the Holy Angels:

Day 1 

Salutation

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen. 

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys] 

Day 2 

Salutation

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen. 

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys] 

Day 3 

Salutation

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen. 

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys] 

Day 4 

Salutation

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Dominations may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and overcome any unruly passions. Amen. 

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys] 

Day 5  

Salutation

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into temptation. Amen. 

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys] 

Day 6 

Salutation

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Powers may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil.Amen. 

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys] 

Day 7 

Salutation

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen. 

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys] 

Day 8 

 Salutation 

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen. 

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys] 

Day 9 

Salutation

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven. Amen. 

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys] 

Say one Our Father in honor of each of the following leading Angels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael and our Guardian Angel. 

Concluding prayers: 

O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day. Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises. Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has appointed the most glorious Archangel St. Michael Prince of Your Church, make us worthy, we ask You, to be delivered from all our enemies, that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him into Your Presence. This we ask through the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

Elijah and Henoch:

 I consecrate the entire mission of Holy Mother Church, over to you, Elijah and Henoch. Like Peter and Paul, who, are her pillars, so too are you destined to be the pillars alongside of them as we enter into The New Jerusalem.  I can, and never will, be able to stand on my own two feet without you, my fathers, holding me up, all for the glory of God and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Church herself is nothing without the Lamb who gives her light. She is nothing without the Mother of God. She is nothing without angels and saints. She is nothing without the Apostles and prophets. She is nothing without YOU, oh destined pillars of her heart. I lack divine courage. The courage Our Lord chose you for. As we prepare to make this “break” and prepare for the death of the Babylon and the great Harlot found within her, will you infuse into her soul, before you begin your combat with anti-christ, your courage, zeal, trust, faith, hope, and charity? In short, will you bestow on her an ardent love for her Bridegroom and the Immaculate Heart? Will you provide for her in every way? I know her “time and half a time” coincide and while you will be on different continents performing what appear to be separate missions. But are they really separate? Can continents separate the bride from her pillars? There are no human words to express the closeness Our Lord has instilled to link your souls together. When you die and rise again to ascend into heaven, her death will only be just beginning. As we prepare to enter the battlefield, I humbly beg of you a few humble requests on our behalf: Mention (request here).

Canticle of Christ the King, “Lord of lords” and “King of kings” to His bride, the Church: 

“Heard there’s a trouble coming 

But there ain’t a mountain we can’t move 

Let hell and his friends come gunning 

‘Cause in the end, no one can love you like I do 

And the world had me bound, hanging under a cloud 

But with you, there’s not a shadow of doubt ‘Cause after all, who can love you like I do? 

And after all of the storms we made it through 

The sky could fall, I’d be powerless to move 

‘Cause I know when I’m with you, who can love you like I do? 

And I heard that the wolves are running 

But there ain’t a chase that we can’t lose 

Let all heaven and earth start thundering 

‘Cause in the end, we’re on another magnitude 

And the world had me bound, hanging under a cloud 

But with you, my heart’s a mile off the ground 

‘Cause after all, who can love you like I do? 

And after all of the storms we made it through 

The sky could fall, I’d be powerless to move 

‘Cause I know when I’m with you, who can love you like I do? 

And after all, who can love you like I do? 

And after all of the storms we made it through 

The sky could fall, I’d be powerless to move 

‘Cause I know when I’m with you, who can love you like I do?” 

Litany to Prophet Elijah: Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. 

Christ, graciously hear us. 

God, the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. 

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, 

Queen and Beauty of Carmel, pray for us. 

Pillar beside Peter, Paul and Henoch, 

Protector of the New Jerusalem, 

Defender of Holy Mother Church, 

Guardian of the bride of the Lamb, 

Light bearer, 

Defender of Christ’s Divinity, 

Precursor of Christ, 

Conversion of the Jews, 

Conversion of the gentiles, 

Father of truth, 

Father of Zeal, 

Father of courage, 

Rejector of compromise, 

Father of the Carmelite bride, 

Ardent lover of Mary, Mother of the Church, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel… ora pro nobis! 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. 

V. My Carmelite Holy father Elijah, pray for me, 

R. That I may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Oremus, 

My Father Elijah, whose zeal set the throne of God on fire, please bless me and give me a share in your flame, amen. 

Our Holy Father Saint Maximilian:

Day One:  

The Fruit of the Spirit Is Love 

A Reading from the First Letter of St. John (4:7-21) 

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone  who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love  of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world  so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we  have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation  for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one  another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another,  God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. This  is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has  given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the  Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges  that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God.  We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.  God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God  in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in  this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear  because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone  says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever  does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom  he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.  

From the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe ( KW 935) 

The essence of mutual love does not consist in the fact that no one  causes sorrows to us—which is impossible among men— but that we  learn to forgive one another in an ever more perfect manner, immediately and completely. Then we will recite with great confidence the  invocation contained in the “Our Father”: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” [Mt 6:12]. It would be a real trouble if we  had little or nothing to forgive others for.  Let us trust, therefore, in Divine Providence, in the Will of the Immaculata, and remain confident that God allows all things in view of  a greater good. 

Day Two:  

The Fruit of the Spirit Is Joy 

A Reading from the Gospel according to St. Luke (1:3955) 

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where She entered the house of Zechariah  and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the  infant leaped in Her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among  Women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this  happen to me, that the Mother of my Lord 14 should come to me?  For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the  infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are You who believed  that what was spoken to You by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And  Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; My spirit  rejoices in God My savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s  lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The  Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name.  His mercy is from age to age to those who fear Him. He has shown  might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He  has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the  lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has  sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his  mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to  his descendants forever.”  

From the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe (KW 987C and 1080) 

Truly supreme and incomparable joy is infused by the Holy Spirit,  when one suffers for love of Christ.  [The purpose of the MI] is to make humanity happy, by instilling  into each soul—which thirsts and craves for happiness every moment  of its life—the love of the one who can and wants to introduce peace  and joy into each heart, during this earthly exile, in the midst of the  confusion that surrounds us, of the concerns and headaches that beset  us everywhere, of the pain that reaches the very depths of our hearts. Those who truly love the Immaculata and flee to her with filial love  and affection at times of temptation and hardship in life, will surely  take down all the obstacles on the road to happiness, and foretaste the  joys of heaven. Those who in their lifetime have worked with zeal to  expand the reign of the Immaculata will be happy at death. 

Day Three:  

The fruit of the Spirit Is Peace 

A Reading from the Gospel according to St. John (14:23-27 and 16:30-33) Jesus said, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father  will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling  with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet  the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.  “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy  Spirit that the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you. Peace I leave with  you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to  you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you  will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this  so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have  trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”  

From the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe (KW 1065) 

Paradise was described even better by the man who, in this life, was plucked up to it for a short time: by St. Paul, who says: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered  the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him”  (1 Cor 2:9). It is a description even closer to the truth, because it  shows the infinite difference between the ideas that we hold about  heaven and its reality. However, those who, here on earth, have had the chance to enjoy  a small foretaste of paradise should be able to form an idea of what  it will be like. And anyone may achieve that. One need only approach Confession with sincerity and great care, with deep sorrow  for sins and firm resolve to make amends. Then they will immediately experience a peace and a happiness compared to which all the  fleeting but dishonest pleasures of the world are, rather, loathsome  torments. Let everyone come to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with a good preparation; let them never allow their souls  to remain in sin but purify them right away. Let them perform all  their duties well; raise humble and frequent prayers to the throne of  God, especially through the hands of Mary Immaculate. Let them  also embrace their brothers with charitable hearts, enduring suffering and difficulties for God’s sake. Let them do good to everyone, including their enemies, only for the love of God and not in order to be praised or thanked by men. Then they shall realize what it means  to have a foretaste of heaven and find peace and happiness even in poverty, in suffering, in disgrace, in sickness. 

Day Four:  

The Fruit of the Spirit Is Patience 

A Reading from the Letter of St. James (1:1-4 and 5:7-11) 

James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brothers,  when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of  your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect,  so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being  patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too  must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the  Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brothers, about one another, that  you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the  gates. Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers, the  prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed we call blessed  those who have persevered. You have heard of the perseverance of  Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, because “the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”  

From the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe (KW 46 and 56) 

Let us work with prudence, patience, and humility, but with perseverance, purifying continuously our intentions, to fulfill only the will of  God through the Immaculata, helping each other by prayer, advice and  action. Let us be led, let us be quiet, quiet, let us not claim to do more  than she wants, or faster [than she wants it]. Let her carry us; she will  take care of everything, she will provide for all our needs of the soul  and the body; let us give to her any difficulty, displeasure, let us trust  that she will take care of them better than we could. Therefore peace,  peace, a lot of peace in unlimited confidence in her. We did not make  the MI; we do not know nor can carry it forward. If the MI belongs  to our Heavenly Mother, the obstacles will make it stronger, and if  not, let it fall; why should we meddle? If even our Heavenly Mother  would not want the MI to last, but be content with what it has done so far, she is Our Lady; may she do whatever she likes. Let us take care of things but let us not worry about them. We  need that the external and internal tribulations, the failures, the listlessness, the fatigue, the jeers, the misfortunes, and other crosses purify and strengthen us. It takes a lot of patience even with ourselves and even with the good God, who tries us out of love. 

Day Five:  

The Fruit of the Spirit Is Kindness 

A Reading from the Gospel of St. Luke (6:27-35) 

But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who  hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat  you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other  one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not  withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and  from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do  to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those  who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those  who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you,  what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend  money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit (is)  that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same  amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and  lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and  you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the  ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as (also) your Father is  merciful. From the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe (KW 97) 

Please do not be discouraged by the fact that coldness and malice prevail, because the grace of God, through the Immaculata, is stronger.  The purpose of the Militia of the Immaculata is to conquer the whole world, all hearts and each person individually, for the Queen, not only  of Heaven, but also of the Earth. To give true happiness to those poor  unfortunates who seek it in the ephemeral pleasures of this world, this is our aim. You have to conquer even your hometown for the Immaculata: this is your place of battle. We must fight with our prayer, good example, and cordiality, with great gentleness and kindness, as a reflection of the Immaculata’s goodness. Those people who seek happiness outside of God are unhappy people who, wrapped up in  sin and vice, are chasing happiness, looking for it where there is none  and where they cannot find it. 

Day Six:  

The Fruit of the Spirit Is Generosity 

A Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (12:1-21) 

I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. For by the grace  given to me I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more  highly than one ought to think, but to think soberly, each according to the measure of faith that God has apportioned. For as in one body  we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually  parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the  grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion  to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity;  if one is over others,  with diligence; if one does acts of mercy,  with cheerfulness. Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, per- severe in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute (you), bless and do not curse  them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.  Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all. Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Rather,  “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.  

From the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe (KW 1079) 

Let us pray to the Immaculata with fervor, that She may accept us as Her own property. We can do that by using the act of consecration to the Immaculata printed on our enrollment cards. Thus, on this day, all  of us knights of the Immaculata renew our act of unconditional surrender to her. Let us do it together, if we can; all of us. In Poland, there  are now about 20,000 of us. Let us rekindle in ourselves love and trust  toward our most beloved Lady, Queen, Mother, Leader, Hope…  Some of us may already have forgotten to recite that short little prayer every day: the ejaculatory prayer that the Immaculata herself taught us, the one listed in our enrollment cards as one of the means  [available to us]. May such people be rekindled and resolve no longer to neglect it. Also… each of us ought to ask himself or herself: Have I done all I could in the course of this year for the Immaculata, for the salvation and sanctification of my soul and my neighbor’s? Or am I being reproached by my conscience for my laziness, listlessness, my poor zeal… or my want of self sacrifice?… Let us examine  ourselves… Let this day be a day of rebirth for our souls, a day of renewal in our zeal for expanding the kingdom of the Most Loving Queen of heaven and earth. We ought not to rely at all on ourselves. Neither should we, however, place limits on our trust in her. In every difficulty or temptation, let us have recourse to her and we shall not fail. Let us entrust all our endeavors to her and we shall surely achieve what she wants. 

 Day Seven:  

The Fruit of the Spirit Is Faithfulness 

A Reading from the Gospel according to St. Luke (6:3544) 

Jesus said, “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those  servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute (the) food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.”  

From the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe (KW 149) 

You must be prepared for moments of darkness, anguish, uncertainty,  fear, sometimes very insistent temptations, and suffering of the body and of the soul—that are a hundred times more severe. In fact, if there were nothing to bear, for what would you go to heaven? Without struggle victory would be impossible and without victory there  can be no crown, there can be no reward [cf. 1 Cor 9:25]. Therefore,  from now on be prepared for anything. However, we must not be afraid of anything, because we can and we must win. But how? Here is how: by not trusting ourselves in any  way and by offering all of ourselves, all the temptations, and our difficulties to the Immaculata, surely we will always be victorious (it is obvious that on our part we have to do what we can not to fall). The Immaculata cannot abandon her children. Satan never sleeps and—with the permission of God— he often will suggest “wise” propositions, he will show you other “pseudo-duties,” other “happiness,” but he who loves the Immaculata sincerely and wholeheartedly, will easily recognize the enemy and will cast  him out. Serving the Immaculata with fidelity, we can give the best service  to our family. In fact, is She not able to help our families incomparably better than we can ourselves? Let us entrust to Her all of those close to our hearts, and She, the best among mothers, will help them in the best way possible. 

Day Eight:  

The Fruit of the Spirit Is Gentleness 

A Reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy (6:11-19) You, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness,  devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge (you) before God, who gives life to all things, and before  Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal power. Amen. Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life.  

From the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe (KW 925)

Mutual love does not consist in the fact that no one ever causes any sorrow in us, but that we strive not to cause grief to others and we become accustomed to forgiving whatever hurts us immediately and completely. In such mutual forbearance lies the essence of mutual love. St. Thérèse writes: “I saw only too well how very imperfect was my love for my Sisters; I did not really love them as Jesus loves them. I see now that true charity consists in bearing with the faults of  those about us, never being surprised at their weaknesses, but edified at the least sign of virtue. I see above all that charity must not remain hidden in the bottom of our hearts, for ‘no man lighteth a candle and putteth it in a hidden place, nor under a bushel; but upon a candlestick, that they who come in may see the light’ [Lk 11:33]. It seems to me that this candle is the symbol of charity; it must shine out not only to cheer those we love best, but ALL those who are of the household.” And later she writes: “I know, my Jesus, that You never command the impossible; You know better than I do how frail and imperfect I am. You know perfectly well that I can never hope to love my Sisters as You love them, unless You Yourself love them in me. It is only because You are willing to do this that You have given us a New Commandment, and I love it because it is my assurance that You desire to love in me all those whom You command me to love.” The deeper such love, the more effective will missionary activity be. 

Day Nine:  

The Fruit of the Spirit Is Self Control 

A Reading from the Gospel of St. John (18:19-23) 

The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where  all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said.” When he had said this, one of the temple guards standing  there struck Jesus and said, “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”  

From the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe (KW 1065) 

Let all also embrace their brothers with charitable hearts, enduring suffering and difficulties for God’s sake. Let them do good to everyone, including their enemies, only for the love of God and not in order to be praised or thanked by men. Then they shall realize what it means to have a foretaste of heaven and find peace and happiness even in poverty, in suffering, in disgrace, in sickness. Such foretaste of paradise is also a sure harbinger of eternal bliss. Indeed, it is not easy to exert self-control in the manner described above to achieve this happiness, but remember that those who ask  it of the Immaculata with humility and perseverance will certainly achieve it, because She is unable to deny us anything, nor is the Lord God able to deny Her anything. Anyway, we shall shortly know exactly what it will be like in heaven. Surely in a hundred years none of us will still be walking on this earth. But what are a hundred years in the face of what we have been through?… And who will have to wait as many more years?… Soon, therefore, provided we are well prepared, under the protection of the  Immaculata. Lord Jesus Christ, who said, “Greater love than this no man has that a man lay down his life for his friends,” through the intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe whose life illustrated such love, we beseech you to grant us our  petitions . . . (quietly mention special requests.) Through the Militia of the Immaculata movement, which Maximilian founded, he spread a fervent  devotion to Our Lady throughout the world. He gave up his life for a total stranger and loved his persecutors, giving us an example of unselfish love for all men, a love that was inspired by true devotion to Mary. Grant, O Lord Jesus, that we too may give ourselves entirely without reserve to the love and service of our Heavenly Queen in order to better love and serve  our fellowman in imitation of your humble servant, Maximilian. Amen. 

(Three Hail Marys and a Glory Be.) 

Merciful God, you made St. Maximilian Kolbe one of the foremost Catholic evangelists of the difficult twentieth century. Through the Militia of the Immaculata movement which he founded, he  implanted the truths of the Immaculate Conception and your merciful plan for us all in countless hearts, thus moving them to full conversion in faith and hope, to perfect obedience and union with the Heart of Jesus, and to  complete observance of the New Covenant. You made him fruitful through carrying the cross of suffering with dignity and hope, loving his persecutors, and giving up his life for a total stranger. Through his intercession grant us our petitions . . .  (quietly mention the requests you have). Give us a like dignity and hope in our sufferings and sacrifices, and if it will glorify you, heal us of all our infirmities, both physical and spiritual. Finally, enable us to follow his example of effective Catholic evangelism with Mary for the return to you of all the masses of mankind, and of every individual person, family, society and culture of our time and of all time to  come. Amen. 

(Three Hail Marys and a Glory Be.) 

Lord, have mercy on us.  

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us.  

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us.  

Lord, have mercy on us. 

God our Father in heaven,  receive our humble prayers. 

God the Son, Redeemer of the  world, save us. 

God the Holy Spirit,  fill our hearts with your  love. 

Holy Trinity, one God,  grant us your salvation. 

Holy Mary, Mother of our Savior,  intercede for us. 

St. Maximilian Kolbe, great  hearted lover of God and man,  pray for us. 

Faithful follower of St. Francis  of Assisi, teach us your total dedication to the Gospel life. 

Man of living faith, lead us to believe as you did. 

Brave Knight of the Immaculata,  help us to be instruments of  Mary. 

Apostle of the Miraculous Medal,  give us confidence in Mary,  the Mother of Jesus. 

Model of religious life,  assist us to be poor, chaste  and obedient. 

You practiced poverty and  simplicity, encourage us to live a modest life. Example of angelic innocence,  elevate us to keep our hearts  and minds pure. 

Apostle of Christian example, teach us to remember what  Jesus said and did. 

Angel of peace and reconciliation, inspire us to be living examples of God’s peace. 

You were loyal to the teachings  of Christ, teach us the same fidelity. 

Apostle of the communications media, help our journalists to be  promoters of truth and  goodness. 

Educator of youth,  uplift our young people to  find true meaning in their  lives. 

Defender of morals and Christian  values, protect us from the immorality in our midst. 

Zealous apostle of Nagasaki  in Japan, defend us from nuclear destruction. 

Great missionary of our times,  help us participate in the evangelization of the world. 

You prayed for your oppressors,  teach us how to forgive and  forget. 

You had respect for every person,  help us to see in each other  the image of God. 

You saw God’s will in your  sufferings, intercede for the sick and those with terminal illness. 

Victim of violence and hatred,  teach us how to love our  enemies.

You volunteered to die for another,  lead many persons to offer  their talents in service. 

You shared a meager piece of  bread with fellow prisoners, intercede for the hungry and  starving of the world. 

Victim of planned extermination,  inspire our doctors and nurses to protect human life. 

You died for the father of a family,  restore the Christian dimension of family life. 

You assisted the dying prisoners,  stand by us also in the hour  of our death. 

Patron of the dying, intercede for those who are  in agony of mind and body. 

You were united with Christ in  suffering, help us to understand that we do not suffer alone. 

You died by a poisonous injection, aid those who are addicted  to drugs and alcohol. 

Martyr of Auschwitz,  help us endure our sufferings patiently. 

St. Maximilian Kolbe,  teach us that without sacrifice there is no proof of love. 

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, hear our prayers. 

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, 

receive the intercession of  your saints. 

Lamb of God, you take away the  sins of the world, to you be glory in heaven  and on earth. 

Concluding Prayer 

Almighty and Eternal God, you gave us in the person of St. Maximilian an example of true devotion to the Immaculate Mother of our Savior and of  unselfish love for our neighbor. Grant we beseech you through his intercession, that we may grow in our understanding of love of the Immaculata; that we may recognize her presence, her voice, her love and her power with us and be filled with an ardent desire and will to fulfill her will in every detail, and thus become sharers and true instruments of her most perfect response to you, in the Holy Spirit through Christ our Lord.  All: Amen. 

Therese:

My Novena Rose Prayer

O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose
from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love.

O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God to grant the favors
I now place with confidence in your hands . .

(mention in silence here)

St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did in
God’s great love for me, so that I might imitate your “Little Way” each day. Amen

Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese

O Glorious St. Therese,
whom Almighty God has raised up to aid
and inspire the human family,
I implore your Miraculous Intercession.

You are so powerful in obtaining every need
of body and spirit from the Heart of God.
Holy Mother Church proclaims you “Prodigy of Miracles…
the greatest saint of Modern Times.”

Now I fervently beseech you to answer my petition
(mention in silence here)
and to carry out your promises of
spending heaven doing good on earth…
of letting fall from Heaven a Shower of Roses.

Little Flower, give me your childlike faith,
to see the Face of God
in the people and experiences of my life,
and to love God with full confidence.

St. Therese, my Carmelite Sister,
I will fulfill your plea “to be made known everywhere”
and I will continue to lead others to Jesus through you.

Amen.

---

Feast Day Novena Prayer for Peace

(This prayer is used by the Carmelites during the Feast Day Novena)

St. Therese, Flower of fervor and love, please intercede for us.
Fill our hearts with your pure love of God.
As we approach and celebrate your feast day,
make us more aware of the goodness of
God and how well He tends His garden.
Instill in us your little way of doing
ordinary things with extra-ordinary love.

Give us the heart of a child who wonders
at life and embraces everything with loving enthusiasm.
Teach us your delight in God’s ways
so that divine charity may blossom in our hearts.
Little Flower of Jesus, bring our petitions
(mention in silence here)
before God, our Father.

With your confidence, we come before Jesus
as God’s children,
because you are our heavenly friend.
As we celebrate the Feast Day of your
homecoming in heaven, continue to
shower roses and grace upon us. Amen

Philomena:

Composed by St. John Vianney

Lord have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Queen of Virgins,

St. Philomena, pray for us.
St. Philomena, filled with the most abundant graces from your very birth, pray for us.
St. Philomena, faithful imitator of Mary, pray for us.
St. Philomena, model of Virgins, pray for us.
St. Philomena, temple of the most perfect humility, pray for us.
St. Philomena, inflamed with zeal for the Glory of God, pray for us.
St. Philomena, victim of the love of Jesus, pray for us.
St. Philomena, example of strength and perseverance, pray for us.
St. Philomena, invincible champion of chastity, pray for us.
St. Philomena, mirror of the most heroic virtues, pray for us.
St. Philomena, firm and intrepid in the face of torments, pray for us.
St. Philomena, scourged like your Divine Spouse, pray for us.
St. Philomena, pierced by a shower of arrows, pray for us.
St. Philomena, consoled by the Mother of God, when in chains, pray for us.
St. Philomena, cured miraculously in prison, pray for us.
St. Philomena, comforted by angels in your torments, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who preferred torments and death to the splendors of a throne, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who converted the witnesses of your martyrdom, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who wore out the fury of your executioners, pray for us.
St. Philomena, protectress of the innocent, pray for us.
St. Philomena, patron of youth, pray for us.
St. Philomena, refuge of the unfortunate, pray for us.
St. Philomena, health of the sick and the weak, pray for us.
St. Philomena, new light of the church militant, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who confounds the impiety of the world, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who stimulates the faith and courage of the faithful, pray for us.
St. Philomena, whose name is glorified in Heaven and feared in Hell, pray for us.
St. Philomena, made illustrious by the most striking miracles, pray for us.
St. Philomena, all powerful with God, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who reigns in glory, pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. 

V. Pray for us, Great Saint Philomena,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray:

We implore Thee, O Lord, by the intercession of Saint Philomena, Virgin and Martyr, who was ever most pleasing to Thy eyes by reason of her eminent purity and the practice of all the virtues, pardon us our sins and grant us all the graces we need (and name any special grace you may require). Amen. 

---

Novena to Saint Philomena

O great Saint Philomena, glorious Virgin and Martyr, wonder-worker of our age, I return most fervent thanks to God for the miraculous gifts bestowed on thee, and beseech thee to impart to me a share in the graces and blessings of which thou hast been the channel to so many souls. Through the heroic fortitude with which thou didst confront the fury of tyrants and brave the frowns of the mighty rather than swerve from thy allegiance to the King of Heaven, obtain for me purity of body and soul, purity of heart and desire, purity of thought and affection. 

Through thy patience under multiplied sufferings, obtain for me a submissive acceptance of all the afflictions it may please God to send me and as thou didst miraculously escape unhurt from the waters of the Tiber, into which thou wert cast by order of thy persecutor, so may I pass through the waters of tribulation without detriment to my soul. In addition to these favors, obtain for me, O faithful spouse of Jesus, the particular intention I earnestly recommend to thee at this moment. O pure Virgin and holy Martyr, deign to cast a look of pity from Heaven on thy devoted servant, comfort me in affliction, assist me in danger, but above all come to my aid in the hour of death. Watch over the interests of the Church of God, pray for its exaltation and prosperity, the extension of the faith, for the Sovereign Pontiff, for the clergy, for the perseverance of the just, the conversion of sinners, and the relief of the souls in purgatory, especially those dear to me. O great Saint, whose triumph we celebrate on earth, intercede for me, that I may one day behold the crown of glory bestowed on thee in Heaven, and eternally bless Him who so liberally rewards for all eternity the sufferings endured for His love during this short life. Amen. 

Prayer:

O most pure Virgin, glorious Martyr, Saint Philomena, whom God in His eternal power has revealed to the world in these unhappy days in order to revive the faith, sustain the hope and enkindle the charity of Christian souls, behold me prostrate at thy feet. Deign, O Virgin, full of goodness and kindness, to receive my humble prayers and to obtain for me that purity for which thou didst sacrifice the most alluring pleasures of the world, that strength of soul which made thee resist the most terrible attacks and that ardent love for our Lord Jesus Christ, which the most frightful torments could not extinguish in thee. So, that wearing thy holy cord and imitating thee in this life, I may one day be crowned with thee in heaven. Amen.