Prayer and Study are the interior and reflective ways in which the Men of St. Joseph live out their faith. We know that St. Joseph was the kind of man who made room in his life to be open to the ways in which God was calling him. Through his life of prayer and the dreams through which God spoke to him, he had the courage to discern his vocation and persevere in the direction that he was called. There is nothing more foundational and critical to a mature spiritual life than the discipline of prayer. The Catechism of the Catholic Church looks to St. Therese of Lisieux to help us understand the nature of prayer, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy” (CCC 2558). St. John of the Cross describes prayer as “silent love” where one listens to the Lord and “We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed” (CCC 2711). One can look to St. Joseph as model of one who embraced and lived a life of prayer as defined by these two great Carmelite saints. Since there are no recorded words in the Gospels from St. Joseph, men today can look to him as an example of the importance of making the time for silent prayer each day where our hearts are turned toward God. Using St. Joseph as a model, members of this fraternity are led and formed by God through a daily discipline of prayer.
In addition to a daily discipline of prayer, the brothers of this fraternity are also committed to the study of our Roman Catholic faith. An adult understanding of what we believe and profess is an essential element of our spiritual development. St. Jerome stated, "Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ." This appeal from one the first Doctors of the Church is a reminder to all men that studying the Scriptures is necessary to grow in one's faith. Since Roman Catholicism is built on the pillars of both Scripture and Tradition, it also important for brothers in this fraternity to also have some knowledge of the sacraments and what the Church teaches on a variety of different topics that are relevant for men living in our modern culture. To this end, the Men of St. Joseph will provide opportunities for its brothers to learn and grow in their faith.