What Is Consecrated Virginity?

(about the image: this is a mosaic of some ancient consecrated virgin-saints found in the Church of St. Apollinaire in Ravenna, Italy)

As I am now beginning to send out invitations for my consecration (and yes, it still seems a little unreal!), I found it necessary to write up a one-page description of consecrated virginity that I can give to those family and friends who have never heard of this vocation. I decided to share it with you here.

I want this to be easy to understand for the average, educated Catholic who goes to Church on Sunday, but who generally doesn't read Canon Law. I would really appreciate comments if you see a way that this could be more clear or more helpful. Also, if any of my readers ever need a convenient description of consecrated virginity lived in the world, feel free to borrow this.

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What is consecrated virginity?

Consecrated virginity is the oldest form of consecrated life in the Catholic Church, dating back to the time of the Apostles. Centuries before it was historically possible for a woman to become a nun, she could offer herself entirely to God by becoming a consecrated virgin. Very early in the Church’s history, a special rite was developed to establish a woman in this state in life, setting her apart as a “spouse of Christ.”

Some well-know consecrated virgin saints from the early Church include St. Agnes, St. Cecilia, St. Agatha, and St. Lucy.

Beginning around the fourth century A.D., The formation of religious Orders and the surrounding historical circumstances gradually put an end to the practice of consecrating women living “in the world,” or outside of monasteries. Despite this, the Rite of Consecration was preserved in tradition by a few religious Orders which continued to use the Rite of Consecration in conjunction with a nun’s final profession of vows.

In the 1963 document Sacrosanctum Concilium, the second Vatican Council called for a revision and revival of the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity for Women Living in the World, thereby restoring this ancient vocation to the life of the contemporary Church.

Modern consecrated virgins are solemnly consecrated by the local diocesan bishop (or by a delegated auxiliary bishop) within the context of the revised rite. The bishop is the one who grants permission for women to receive this consecration, as well as the one who determines the concrete circumstances under which they are to live their consecrated lives. Consecrated virgins remain directly under his authority, unlike religious sisters who are ordinarily accountable to the superiors of their religious community.

Besides life-long celibacy, the only formal obligation of a consecrated virgin is prayer, especially for the people, clergy, and bishop of her diocese. During the Rite of Consecration a consecrated virgin is also given the responsibility to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church.

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 required to take on any specific ministry. However, they are still called to be “dedicated to the service of God and the Church.”

Consecrated virgins exist in the Church today for the same reason that consecrated people have always existed—to be a living sign and witness of the love Christ has for His people.

A Practical Explanation of Consecrated Virginity

(About the image: this is a representation of St. Agnes in Heaven with other consecrated-virgin saints of the early Church.)

Here is a question I recently received in my comment box:

I stumbled upon your blog by means of another (isn't that always the way!) and I read many of your postings, but I am still stumped—what exactly is a consecrated virgin and what role do they play in the church? I have to admit here that I am a former Catholic but having spent the first twenty-four years of my life attending church and attending Catholic schools, I have never run across this term. Thanks! –Elizabethanne

Elizabethanne, your timing is perfect! (Or is it providential?) After receiving definite approval for my vocation this spring, I recently set a date for my consecration. So I am just now beginning to be open with the people in my life about what I am doing. And more often then not, this announcement requires quite a bit of explanation. I have been working on writing a brief description of consecrated virginity in the world which I could possibly make into a hand-out to give to people who had questions. This post represents some of my first attempts!

You are not alone in being “stumped”—I’ve found that my vocation is something unfamiliar even most practicing Catholics (including the daily Mass crowd). My mother has been telling friends and family that I am becoming a “freelance nun.” Canonically, this is inaccurate in more ways than I can count. But this explanation does work surprisingly well at conveying, in an on-the-spot kind of way, the basic idea of the sort of life which I will be embracing.

I find that one of the best ways to begin explaining consecrated virginity in the world is by describing the history of this vocation. The consecrated life is as old as the Church herself, but religious life as we know it did not exist until about the fourth century A.D. Thus, a woman could dedicate her life to Christ as a consecrated virgin before it was historically possible for her to become a nun. Very early in the Church’s history, a liturgical rite was developed for the conferral of solemn consecration upon women who had resolved to remain virgins “for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

In the writings of the Patristic era, the Church Fathers frequently mention the consecrated virgins of their local communities. While there seems to have been some diversity in the structure of their daily lives, the consecrated virgins of the early Church probably played a role analogous to that of today’s religious sisters, though with a more pronounced contemplative dimension. Most of the virgin-martyr saints with whom you may be familiar—such as St. Agnes, St. Lucy, St. Barbara, and St. Cecilia—were consecrated virgins.

Although there was a window of a few centuries during which a woman could either enter a monastery and become a nun OR become a consecrated virgin while remaining “in the world,” the rise of monasticism and the surrounding historical circumstances gradually put an end to the practice of consecrating uncloistered women. However, some religious orders continued to use the rite in conjunction with a nun’s solemn profession of vows, so the rite was not lost (as it easily could have been).

About a thousand years later, the second Vatican council called for a revision of the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity, which re-established consecrated virginity in the world as recognized form of consecrated life.* When the Code of Canon Law was revised in 1983, it included a canon describing this vocation.

Modern consecrated virgins are solemnly consecrated by the local diocesan bishop (or by a delegated auxiliary bishop in some situations) within the context of the revised rite. The bishop is the one who grants permission for aspirants to receive this consecration, as well as the one who determines the circumstances under which they are to live their vocation.** Consecrated virgins remain directly under his authority, unlike religious sisters who are ordinarily accountable to the superiors of their religious congregation.

Besides life-long celibacy, the only formal obligation of a consecrated virgin is to pray for the needs 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 Reconciliation, 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.

The role of consecrated virgins in the Church today is the same as the role of consecrated persons in general; that is, to be witnesses of Christ’s love for His Church.

Once again, I hope this is helpful. If any of my readers would like me to elaborate on anything or to clarify some point, just ask!

*see the Vatican II document Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), art. 80.
** This is described in the introductory remarks in the Rite of Consecration.

About my sidebar image...

On my sidebar, I have included an photograph of the catacomb of St. Callixtus. My intention in this was to provide a visual reminder of the relationship between consecrated virginity and martyrdom.

Of course, many of the earliest consecrated virgin-saints were martyrs as well. Sometimes--such as in the case of St. Agnes, whose feast we will celebrate later this month--these women were martyred specifically because they had chosen to dedicate themselves completely to God as a spouse of Christ. But beyond the historical connection, my own belief is that consecrated virginity is a gift for the Church in a manner similar to the gift of the martyrs.

"Martyr" comes from the Greek word for "witness". The martyrs were people who had come to see the light of Christ, and who understood that it was worth more than anything the world could offer. They were willing to acknowledge this publicly, to the point where they would relinquish their earthly life due to the strength of their life in God.

The martyrs' testified to their faith by their death, and this was more convincing then any speech or writing. Their love for Christ was visible not only in their joy, but also especially in their suffering and death. That such a love could exist on this earth, from people like us, is something that could brighten the whole human experience.

It is to be hoped that modern consecrated virgins do not meet similarly violent deaths. Yet, a call to consecrated virginity is in a very real way a call to renounce many of life's most precious treasures. Although it is quite painful for me to consider the fact that I will never have my own family or my own home, I have always felt that I was gaining so much more than I was renouncing. I am willing (and eager!) to live this way because God is truly everything to me, and I won't be satisfied until everything I have belongs to Him.

My goal is that I live my consecrated life well enough that my witness is at least somewhat as convincing as the martyrs'.

When I see pictures of the catacombs where the early martyrs were buried, I am reminded of all of this. I think it is also a good occasion to remember that these saints are our brothers and sisters in Christ; they pray for us, and they want to encourage us so that our love for Christ can also become "as strong as death".*

*(cf. Song of Songs 8:6)

Introduction

Happy feast of the Epiphany and welcome to my blog!

I am a college student in my early twenties, and I am an aspiring consecrated virgin in the Roman Catholic Church.

Consecrated virginity in the world (as described in canon 604 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law) is the oldest form of consecrated life in the Church. It dates back to apostolic times, when Christian woman would freely renounce marriage in order to belong more completely to Christ, and to serve as a witness to the reality of a future life with God in heaven, where "no one is married or given in marriage".

A liturgical rite was developed early in the Church's history to bestow solemn consecration upon women who had this vocation. However, with the development of religious orders, this rite came to be restricted to women in cloistered monasteries.

This changed when the Vatican II document Sacrosanctum Concilium called for a revision of the rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity. After about 1,500 years, it was once again possible for a woman who lived "in the world" (i.e., apart from a religious community) to be consecrated. The renewed rite was promulgated in 1970, and the new Code of Canon Law, written in 1983, made a legal provision for the existence of this state in life.

So in my life today, I am trying to respond to a vocation which is an ancient Christian tradition, and at the same time also something of a modern development!

Due to the "newness" and relative rarity of this form of consecrated life, I have often felt frustrated in trying to find information and resources which could have provided support for me in my discernment.

I decided to start this blog in order to share both my personal reflections and experiences, as well as to publish some of the fruits of my research. My intention is to assist other people who could benefit from an honest, thoughtful discussion of consecrated virginity. I also hope encourage a more widespread appreciation for the beauty and value of this vocation.

My title, "Sponsa Christi" is Latin for "Spouse of Christ"--an expression which encapsulates the nature of a call to consecrated life for women.

I hope that my efforts help (in at least some small way) to make God better known and loved.