Consecrated Virginity

IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

What is a "Consecrated Virgin"?

Click on the links on the left for information regarding consecrated virgins in the Catholic Church

Questions and Answers (Part 2)

• Can one be consecrated in a diocese outside of one's own?

No. One should progress toward the Consecration with a spiritual director and prayer so that eventually one may be able to receive the Consecration properly.

• What is the proper ‘community’ for the consecrated virgin living in the world?

Your community is your parish and you should live out your vocation in the world.

• If one cannot pray the Divine Office, can one still be consecrated?

Yes.

• What should one do when one travels, for instance, and cannot pray the Divine Office at the proper times?

Do it at another time.

• Could one grow out of praying the Divine Office, as discursive prayer, and move into more contemplative prayer?

No. One never grows out of the Divine Office any more than one grows out of the Mass. Both are the public prayer of the Church.

• Could a person receive a crucifix as part of the insignia during the Rite of Consecration?

I would discourage adding anything to the Rite. Usually a crucifix is an insignia of mission for religious sisters after they make their profession of vows.

• How did the bond start with the bishop and the consecrated virgin?

It started from the beginning of the Church. It is a good idea to read the Fathers of the Church as they wrote about virgins.

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