About Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph · Valparaiso, Nebraska
The Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is a cloistered Discalced Carmelite (OCD) monastery near the village of Agnew, a few miles west of Valparaiso, Nebraska, in the Diocese of Lincoln. Home to about 20 consecrated sisters, it was dedicated and consecrated on December 14, 2001, after the community transferred to Nebraska from Las Vegas, Nevada. The sisters live a strictly contemplative life of prayer, silence, and work, devoting themselves to intercession for the Church and the world while honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary through the brown scapular devotion. The monastery's Romanesque chapel, open daily to the public, is the setting for the Traditional Latin Mass.
- Established
- 2001
- Patron
- Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska
Why belong here
The Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is not a parish in the usual sense — it is a cloistered monastery where Discalced Carmelite nuns live a hidden life of prayer for the Church and the world. The faithful of the Lincoln Diocese and beyond are warmly welcomed to visit the Romanesque chapel as a 'spiritual pilgrimage': to attend the Traditional Latin Mass, to spend quiet hours in prayer (the chapel is open daily from roughly 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.), to join the First Friday Holy Hour at 5:30 p.m., or to write the sisters with prayer requests. Supporting the Carmel through prayer, fasting, almsgiving, or the diocese's annual collection for contemplative orders directly participates in the sisters' vocation of intercession.
Mass times at Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- First Friday Holy Hour — 5:30 p.m.
History & Founding
The Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is a 21st-century foundation rooted in the 16th-century Discalced Carmelite reform of Saint Teresa of Avila. After daughter houses were established in Mexico and a California foundation in 1927, a further foundation was made in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother Teresa of Jesus, OCD, telephoned the Lincoln chancery to ask Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz about a new foundation; Msgr. Timothy Thorburn, then chancellor, took her call and escorted the visiting nuns to sites around Lincoln. A hilltop site about three miles west of Agnew was chosen, and the monastery was completed and consecrated on December 14, 2001, with Msgr. Thorburn appointed first chaplain.
- Spiritual lineage from St. Teresa of Avila's 16th-century Spanish reform
- California foundation (1927), then Las Vegas, Nevada
- Mother Teresa of Jesus, OCD, foundress
- Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz welcomed the foundation
- Msgr. Timothy Thorburn — founding chaplain
- Hilltop site west of Agnew, view of four counties
- Dedicated and consecrated December 14, 2001
Life of the Sisters (Daily Horarium)
The Sisters' day begins at 4:30 a.m. Their horarium — 'order of life' — centers on the celebration of Holy Mass, two hours of mental prayer, the praying of the Divine Office in choir, and manual work. Work includes housework, food preparation, needlework, caring for the animals and gardens in season, and other handiwork. The Carmelites are noted for creating, sewing, and embroidering vestments for the Mass. Silence is kept during most of the day, and the community supports one another through prayer and solitude, seeing the will of God in and through the current prioress.
- Day begins 4:30 a.m.
- Two hours of mental prayer daily
- Divine Office prayed in choir
- Manual work: vestment-making, gardening, needlework, food preparation
- Silence observed through most of the day
The Carmelite Charism & Devotion to Our Lady
Following the Discalced Carmelite tradition reformed by St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross, the sisters live a completely contemplative life hidden with Christ. They devote themselves to prayer for the world and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary — particularly through the devotion of wearing the brown scapular. The annual preached Novena in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 8–16, is the high point of the Carmelite liturgical year at this monastery, with Holy Mass celebrated at 7 p.m. each evening.
- Discalced Carmelite (OCD) order
- St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross — founders of the reform
- Brown scapular devotion
- Annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Novena — July 8–16, 7 p.m. Mass
Mass & Liturgy (Extraordinary Form)
Only the Traditional Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form) is celebrated at the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph; the new rite of Mass is not offered here. Masses are celebrated by FSSP and diocesan priests, and the Sisters chant in unison the hymns and responses in traditional melodies. Visitors are welcome to attend.
- Monday–Friday: 7:00 a.m. (Wednesdays 6:30 a.m., except 2nd Wednesday at 7:00 a.m.)
- Saturday: 8:00 a.m.
- Sunday: 8:00 a.m.
- Schedule may vary for holy days and veilings of nuns
Chapel, Architecture & Atmosphere
The Carmel sits as a large yellow-brick landmark atop a hill about three miles west of Agnew, designed by JVC Architects and completed in December 2001. Visitors step through impressive bronze doors into the Romanesque chapel, where the lingering aroma of incense and elaborate mosaics create a deliberately otherworldly setting. The chapel is set off from the rest of the building by a cast-iron grill; behind it, to the right of the sanctuary, is the cloister where the Sisters gather for Mass and prayer. The chapel is open to visitors daily from approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Designed by JVC Architects; completed December 2001
- Romanesque chapel with elaborate mosaics
- Large bronze doors; cast-iron grill separating chapel from cloister
- Daily chapel hours: 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Devotions & Special Services
Beyond daily Mass, the monastery hosts the First Friday Holy Hour at 5:30 p.m. and the annual preached Novena in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 8–16, with Mass each evening at 7 p.m. The Carmel is a place of pilgrimage for those seeking silence, and Msgr. Thorburn has encouraged the faithful to regard a visit as a 'spiritual pilgrimage.'
- First Friday Holy Hour — 5:30 p.m.
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel Novena — July 8–16, 7 p.m. Mass
- Daytime quiet prayer and pilgrimage visits welcomed
Prayer Requests & Vocations
A significant work of the sisters is praying for the needs of the local Church, others outside the Carmel, and the world at large. The public may submit prayer requests by writing to the monastery at the Agnew Road address. Young women discerning a religious vocation are asked to correspond by mail. The Carmelites are supported solely by the generosity of donors; the Diocese of Lincoln takes up an annual collection for its two contemplative orders — the Carmelites and the Pink Sisters (Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration).
- Prayer requests accepted by mail
- Discerning women invited to write regarding vocations
- Annual diocesan collection supports the contemplative orders
- Ways to help: prayer, fasting, penances, works of charity
Clergy & Leadership
The community is led by the prioress; the current prioress is Mother Agnes of the Cross, OCD (per the Diocese of Lincoln's directory). Mother Teresa of Jesus, OCD, the foundress, served as prioress for 35 years and was honored at a Pontifical Mass of Thanksgiving on February 2 for her 70th anniversary of vows, celebrated by Bishop James Conley. Msgr. Timothy Thorburn — founding chaplain and now pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Lincoln — has been a constant figure in the monastery's life since that first phone call. The Carmel also benefits from the ministry of FSSP and diocesan priests who celebrate the daily Traditional Latin Mass.
- Mother Agnes of the Cross, OCD — current prioress
- Mother Teresa of Jesus, OCD — foundress; prioress 35 years
- Msgr. Timothy Thorburn — founding chaplain
- FSSP and diocesan priests celebrate daily Mass
- Bishop James Conley celebrated Mother Teresa's 70th anniversary Mass
Visiting & Pilgrimage
All are welcome to attend Mass or to come during the day for private prayer in the chapel. The chapel is open daily from approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Because the Carmel is cloistered, the sisters themselves do not interact with the public directly; visitors encounter the community through the sung Mass, the chapel, and correspondence by mail.
- Chapel open daily 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Visitors welcomed to attend Mass or to pray privately
- Address: 9300 W. Agnew Road, Valparaiso, NE 68065-8724
- Encouraged as a 'spiritual pilgrimage'
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Timothy Thorburn2001–
First chaplain of the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph; appointed when the monastery was completed in December 2001. Now pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Lincoln.