Here’s a good article on consecrated virginity with encouraging words from Pope Benedict XVI. A consecrated virgin is not the same as a nun or sister. It is a different way of life within the Church. It always amazes me the diversity of our vocations in the Church. God calls each of us in a unique and powerful way. I’d love to hear from any one reading who is a consecrated virgin and what the life is like.
Consecrated Virginity a Gift for the Church, Says Pope
Calls Charism Luminous and FruitfulVATICAN CITY, MAY 15, 2008 (Zenit.org) – The call to consecrated virginity has roots in the beginnings of evangelical life, and the Virgin Mary was its first fulfillment, affirmed Benedict XVI.
The Pope stated this today when he greeted 500 consecrated virgins today who have gathered in Rome for an international congress. In his remarks to the members of “Ordo Virginum,” or the Order of Virgins, the Holy Father, quoting the theme chosen for the congress, pointed out that consecrated virginity is “a gift in the Church and for the Church.” He invited the women “to develop, from day to day, their understanding of a charism which is as luminous and fruitful in the eyes of the faith as it is obscure and futile in the eyes of the world.”
“The Order of Virgins represents a particular form of consecrated life which flowered anew in the Church after Vatican Council II,” the Pontiff explained. “However, it has ancient roots that go back to the beginnings of evangelical life when, in an unprecedented novelty, the hearts of certain women began to open to a desire for consecrated virginity: in other words, the desire to give one’s entire being to God, which had had its first extraordinary fulfillment in the Virgin of Nazareth and her ‘yes.’
“Your charism must reflect the intensity, but also the freshness, of its origins,” said the Pope, noting how, “when it came into being, the charism did not involve a particular way of life. Little by little, however, it was institutionalized, finally becoming a full public and solemn consecration conferred by the bishop through an inspirational liturgical rite that made the consecrated woman ‘sponsa Christi,’ an image of the Church as bride.”
“Your vocation is profoundly rooted in the particular Church to which you belong,” he told the women. “From the diocese, with its traditions, its saints, its values, limits and difficulties, you open up to the scope of the universal Church, sharing particularly in her liturgical prayer.” “In this way your prayerful ‘I’ progressively broadens out,” the Holy Father continued, “until in the prayer there is nothing more than a great ‘we.’ In your dialogue with God, open yourselves to dialogue with all creatures.”
“The choice of virginal life,” the Pope concluded, “is an allusion to the transitory nature of earthly things and an anticipation of future good. Be witnesses of vigilant and industrious hope, of joy, of the peace that belongs to those who abandon themselves to the love of God. Be present in the world, yet pilgrims on the journey to the kingdom.”
Archived Comments
- May 16, 2008 at 10:28 am
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Dear Sr. Julie, Thank you for reprinting the Holy Father’s address to consecrated virgins! I am an aspiring consecrated virgin in my early twenties. God willing, I will be solemnly consecrated to a life of virginity some time next year. I have also just completed a B.A. in Philosophy, and plan to begin an M.A. Theology program next semester with the eventual goal of serving the Church as a theologian.
I first felt called to give my life entirely to Christ when I was twelve, so through middle and high school I assumed I would enter religious life as a young adult. I spent several years visiting various religious communities—and I did find some really wonderful ones where I think I could have been quite happy—but I could never dismiss the sense that God was calling me to something else. I first found out about consecrated virginity in the world by reading Canon Law. When I had the chance to read the Rite of Consecration, I felt that I had found a vocation which perfectly reflected my own experience of a call to a spousal relationship with Christ. I was further attracted by the example of the consecrated virgins of the first centuries of Christianity, as well as by the spiritual bond a consecrated virgin has with her local Church.
Besides life-long celibacy, the only formal obligation of a consecrated virgin is to pray for the need of her diocese, and in particular for the good of her bishop and the diocesan clergy. Right now, there is very little official Church legislation pertaining to the concrete details of a consecrated virgin’s daily life. Still, I may be typical in that I pray the full Divine Office (Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, one of the daytime hours, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer), attend daily Mass, make time for silent prayer, frequent the Sacrament of Penance, and make a point to fast and do penance.
While consecrated virgins are expected to live simply, they do not take vows of poverty and must support themselves financially. Because of this, they are not obligated to take on any specific ministry. However, in my case I did chose to pursue an academic career specifically because I thought it would afford me a chance to help build up the Church in a more direct manner—my personal feeling was that I would need a spiritually-oriented exterior occupation to nourish my primary mode of service, which is prayer.
- May 16, 2008 at 10:44 pm
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Consecrated widowhood is another way of consecrated life in the Church. It’s an option that’s not very widely known. Yes, the diversity of vocations is wonderful, a real cause for celebration!
