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Costanza, our lay hermit in residence at Rosa Mystica, currently lives in the lay state while in a process of formation and discernment towards a vocation as a consecrated diocesan hermit under Code 603 of Canon Law. In a spirit of total freedom, she has set aside her former life to embrace a hidden path of solitude, prayer, and penance—offered entirely for the good of the Church, the Bride of Christ.
Born in Italy, Costanza comes with a background few might expect: with an Ivy League background, she spent years in investment and company-building roles, helping lead the growth of innovative, high-performing businesses. She has always loved being among people and serving others.
But in New York City—in the heart of the city that never sleeps—something unexpected happened. Jesus drew her into silence and revealed to her His immense love for each soul. The light of His presence dissolved the illusions of the world. Costanza came to understand that each of us bears the image of Christ in a singular way, and that every heart is capable of receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s love.
In prayer, the Lord revealed to Costanza His mystical Thirst for all souls. She came to see that every soul is beloved and dear to His Heart—loved even unto death, longed for in Gethsemane. For that soul, He endured the scourging, the humiliations, the pain, and the piercing. Jesus was lifted high upon the Cross, bearing each soul in His Heart as He poured Himself out in love. In the Passion, the love of the Most Holy Trinity for every soul is unveiled—a love vast enough to embrace even the greatest sinner. That’s why every soul is worth a lifetime of prayer. Every soul is worth fighting for. Every soul is worth dying for.
Mary, the Mother of all Saints, is called the Mystical Rose because her heart burns with desire not only for the salvation of souls, but with a longing that they become saints. With the boldness that only a mother’s love can give, she offered herself entirely to the Father, pleading that we might become saints—true and radiant. In her footsteps, Costanza lifts in prayer all who come to Rosa Mystica, holding each intention close as she offers them before the Lord in the silence of the Blessed Sacrament.
You are invited to submit your prayer intentions for our lay hermit in residence.
Costanza will carry your intentions before Our Lady each day in her silence and solitude. They will also be remembered in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered at the shrine.
You may also write directly to: prayers@rosamysticashrine.org.
By her way of life, the hermit seeks to press onward to that perfect love of God and neighbor that bears fruit in the salvation of souls. Just as our Lord Jesus, the Savior of all, offered Himself fully for our sake, so too does the hermit strive to belong wholly to Him—most of all when she offers her life in prayer and sacrifice for others.
The Church is filled with varied gifts: the hermit walks a path all her own. Alone in silence, she listens for the Word, holds it close, and offers it back to God in prayer, trusting that it will bear fruit in the lives of those she may never meet.
The hermit’s life is shaped by study, sacrifice, penance, and prayer—ordered by the daily rhythm of the Liturgy of the Hours and sustained in the silence of Eucharistic Adoration. At the heart of each day is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, where time meets eternity and the soul is drawn into the offering of Christ.
Hidden from the world, yet interceding for it, she offers each day as a silent act of love. Her contemplation rests upon the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose wounds she seeks to abide.
In the footsteps of Mary, the Mystical Rose, she draws near to His suffering with reverent love, trusting that from His pierced side flows inexhaustible mercy for every soul. Like Mary beneath the Cross, the hermit stands in the stillness of prayer, offering her life that others may live in God.