Consecrated Virgins Living in the World
This is one of the oldest forms of consecrated life for women in the Catholic Church, existing since apostolic times.
The consecrated virgin receives the title of the Church, bride of Christ, and she becomes a sacred person, but remains living in the world in the secular state, providing for her own living, and witnessing to God by her virginal life given exclusively to Jesus Christ, whose bride she is. She lives her vocation in her own way according to her discernment as guided by her spiritual director and diocesan bishop.
This vocation is also known as the Order of Virgins (or Ordo Virginum), but the word “order” used here refers simply to a distinct category of persons in the Church, not to a religious order or congregation.
Please download the following brochure for more information.
Consecrated Virgins Brochure.pdf (894KB)
If I’m interested in this vocation, who should I contact?
Contact your Parish Priest, Vocations Director or Bishop’s Office, and be guided by their advice.
See also:
www.consecratedvirgins.org – Website of the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins.
www.ordovirginum.wordpress.com – A personal website of Bernadette Chen, consecrated virgin