Hymn of Thanksgiving:

Novena Prayers:

Final Day - January 22nd

Reflection:
Gratitude.  How deep and constant was the gratitude that filled the Holy Hearts of Our Lady and St. Joseph.  Our Heavenly Father had looked upon the lowliness of His handmaid and on the meekness of St. Joseph, and entrusted to them His greatest Treasure: Jesus, Our Lord, who was the source of all their joy.  We too are filled with gratitude today as together we conclude our Novena offered for vocations to the Carmel of Rochester.  We are filled with gratitude for the many generous and faithful souls who have accompanied us with their prayers, their presence and their words.  May Our Lady and St. Joseph, whose glorious Feast we celebrate tomorrow , greatly and richly reward each one of you with their most choice blessings.  And may our Almighty God generously bless our beloved Carmel of Rochester.

Most Holy Hearts of Our Lady and St. Joseph, by your union of Hearts with the Sacred Heart of your Son may our own hearts rejoice today as we conclude our Novena.  May we go forth renewed in our desire to be one with You for the glory of the Eternal Father.

V. Pray for us holy Spouses Mary and Joseph:
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Continue with the Prayer for every day.

Write to us if you are participating in this Novena. We will be united in hearts and prayer with you! Your Carmelite Nuns of Rochester. Use the form below.

Novena Day 8 - January 21st

Reflection:
Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God. (1 John 4)  Our Lady and St. Joseph, responding to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, daily grew in the love of God and of neighbor. Conscious of the responsibility laid before them, they freely dedicated their life and their home to the work and mission of Mary’s Divine Son.  Oh Heavenly Father, we look to you with trust.  May we become more and more aware of how we can participate with greater determination in the salvation of mankind.  Lift up young women to the vocation in Carmel, to the vocation to a life of prayer for the salvation of the world and especially for the sanctification of priests, particularly for the Carmel of Rochester.

Must loving Virgin, by that sublime generosity through which you have become Mother and Mediatrix of All Graces, and in union with sweet St. Joseph, your Holy Spouse, grant that my soul may grow in magnanimity so that I too may be a channel of grace for others.

 V. Pray for us holy Spouses Mary and Joseph:
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Continue with the Prayer for every day.

Novena Day 7 - January 20th

Reflection:
The coming together of Our Lady and St. Joseph in a holy and chaste marriage was the fruit of the humble surrender on the part of each: Behold the Handmaid of the Lord; and Joseph did as the Angel commanded him.  What manner of generosity is the human heart capable of when it lives in humility!  What peacefulness, what delicacy, what openness!  There is no need for struggle, no demand for assurances, no seeking of earthly proofs.  Acceptance and response come easily and joyfully, and as a result, the heart dwells in the realm of the divine.   Heavenly Father, we beseech you today, to look upon your beloved children with tenderness.  Cultivate in us the virtue of humility which alone makes us capable of loving You as You ought to be loved.  And, in Your goodness, deign to bless the Carmel of Rochester with fervent, humble and loving vocations.

 Most humble Virgin, by that deepest humility you practiced with Saint Joseph, your most meek Spouse, grant that my soul may be subject to all for the love of Jesus, your Son and my Lord. Hail Mary…

 V. Pray for us holy Spouses Mary and Joseph:
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Continue with the Prayer for every day.

Novena Day 6 - January 19th

Reflection:

The Espousals of Our Lady and St. Joseph were the prelude to the coming of God Incarnate into our world; it was the first covenant necessary.  Heaven and earth would come together in a manner never before conceived.  And yet how hidden and unknown it was.  In what poverty and simplicity did it take place from the very first moment.  Can anything good come from Nazareth?  Yes! All good came to us from the poverty of Nazareth!  Oh Mary and St. Joseph, from your example and intercession, help us learn how to embrace the simple life of faith, hope and love that our vocation entrusts to us.  Help us to be poor and simple of desires so that the unexpected that God desires, may come to pass through our loving cooperation. We also beseech you to grant many vocations to the Carmel of Rochester.

 Most merciful Virgin, by that strict poverty you practice with Saint Joseph, your most resigned Spouse, grant that my soul may renounce all things for the love of Jesus, your Son and my Lord. Hail Mary…

Novena Day 5 - January 18th

Reflection:
Upon gazing on the person of St. Joseph, we identify almost immediately with the struggles he underwent in obeying the plan of the Father.  Obedience was stretched to the limit because St. Joseph had to surrender that very thing which we most fiercely hold on to: our own judgement and opinion.  Obedience is far more than the compliance of an action, of a command; obedience is a surrender of the entire sequence of our thoughts.  And how central and necessary is such an attitude when discerning one’s vocation.  Dear St. Joseph, intercede for young men and women today who are discerning a call to the consecrated life.  And, in your goodness, grant that young women may feel moved to learn more about the Carmel of Rochester.

Most glorious Virgin, by that perfect obedience you showed to Saint Joseph, your most prudent Spouse, grant that my soul may perfectly obey Jesus, Your Son and my Lord. Hail Mary…

V. Pray for us holy Spouses Mary and Joseph:
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Novena Day 4 - January 17th

Reflection:
In the simple life embraced by Our Lady and St. Joseph, the occasions for true heroic virtues were not wanting.  Their pure and chaste relationship was already a living prelude to those words of beatitude that Jesus would one day pronounce in the Sermon on the Mount.  “Blessed are the pure of heart, … the meek, … the merciful, … the peacemakers…”   It was in them that Jesus saw reflected in His earliest years, the beauty of a truly virtuous life.  We turn to you, Our Lady and St. Joseph, asking you to intercede for all families so that they may become schools of true virtue; schools where the vocation to the religious and priestly life —and especially to the contemplative life of Carmel— may be fostered.  We turn to you with trust in as we pray for vocations to the Carmel of Rochester.

O most holy Virgin, by that fullness of virtues you acquired with Saint Joseph, your most praiseworthy Spouse, grant that my soul may be enamored with all the virtues, so that it may ever be more pleasing to Jesus, your Son and my Lord. Hail Mary…

V. Pray for us holy Spouses Mary and Joseph:
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Continue with the Prayer for every day.

Novena Day 3 - January 16th

Reflection:

Pope St. John Paul II states: “The Holy Spirit, who had inspired in Mary the choice of virginity in view of the mystery of the Incarnation and who wanted it to take place in a family context suitable for the growth of the Child, could well have also inspired in Joseph the ideal of virginity.”  As we ponder over this reality, we can understand the importance of role of the Holy Spirit in our life.  Inspired by the Holy Spirit, a call even as unique as that received by Our Lady and St. Joseph is possible.  Let us ask the Holy Spirit today, to pour forth an abundance of graces on those whom the Father desires they embrace a life of total dedication in Carmel.  And if it be in His merciful designs, may there be those who are be led to the Carmel of Rochester.

O spotless Virgin, by that intact Virginity you did keep with Saint Joseph, your most pure Spouse, grant that my soul may with a pure heart serve Jesus, your Son and my Lord. Hail Mary…

Continue with the Prayer for every day.

Novena Day 2 - January 15th

Reflection:
In the Gospels we find narrated the first steps taken by Our Lady and St. Joseph as they sought to fulfill the will of God unfolding before them.  Prayer was the binding force that kept them ever attentive and ever responsive to God’s every request: "You will bear a son"; "take Mary as your wife"; "you shall call him Jesus", "take the Child and his Mother". The mystery of it all could only be comprehended by hearts who were well convinced of the unmovable goodness of the Almighty God, from whom, “all things work for the good.” Let us ask our most Loving Father to inspire those young women He has destined to Carmel, so that strengthened in prayer and inflamed in love and faith, they may hear with courage and respond with generosity to their call. Let us ask Him this specifically for the Carmel of Rochester.

Most amiable, Virgin, by that tender affection you showed to Saint Joseph, your most dear Spouse, grant that my soul may incessantly love Jesus, your Son and my Lord. Hail Mary…

Novena Day 1 - January 14th

Reflection:

The Heavenly Father, to send His Divine Son as our Savior and Redeemer, prepared for Him a most worthy dwelling place: the blessed Home of Our Lady and St. Joseph. Two Hearts imminently filled with grace and virtue, united in the most chaste and pure love, whose only desire was to fulfill in perfection the will of God, despite all that it would entail. Love begets love. For Love to become Incarnate, to take on human nature, a prior, most chaste love between two human hearts was fashioned. On this first day of our Novena, let us ask our Father to continue to inspire young women today to seek the fullness of love, the fullness of the human heart found in a special way within the gift of the Carmelite life. Love begets love. May love draw down new vocations to our Carmel of Rochester!

Most holy Virgin, by the virginal Espousals you did celebrate with Saint Joseph, your most chaste Spouse, grant that my soul may be spiritually espoused to Jesus, your Son and my Lord.