Consecrated, mystically betrothed to Christ and dedicated to the service of the Church
The Coronation of the Virgin by Neri di Bicci, c. 1470
In the Catholic Church, a consecrated virgin is a woman who has been consecrated by the church to a life of perpetual virginity as a bride of Christ. Consecrated virgins are consecrated by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite.
Consecrated virgins spend their time in works of penance and mercy, in apostolic activity and in prayer, according to their state of life and spiritual gifts. A consecrated virgin may live either as a nun in some of the monastic orders or "in the world"[1] under the authority of her bishop, to the service of the church.
The rite of consecration of virgins for women living in the world was reintroduced in 1970, under Pope Paul VI, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.[2] It is based on the template of the practice of the velatio virginum going back to the Apostolic era, especially the early virgin martyrs. The consecration of virgins for nuns who made their final profession of vows outlasted times in various forms and without discontinuation in bestowal.
The 1983 Code of Canon Law and the 1996 Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata by Pope John Paul II speak of the reflourishing Order of Virgins (Ordo Virginum), the members of which represent an image of the church as the Bride of Christ. Estimates on the number of consecrated virgins derived from diocesan records range at around 5,000 consecrated virgins living in the world as of 2023[update].[3][4][5]
In view of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the reintroduction, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life issued the instruction Ecclesia Sponsae imago in July 2018.[6]
^"CONSECRATION TO A LIFE OF VIRGINITY FOR WOMEN LIVING IN THE WORLD" (PDF). Consecratedvirgins.org. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
^Ordo Consecrationis Virginum (31 May 1970), AAS 62 (1970) 650 = EDIL 2082-2092 = DOL 294 no. 3352. English translation: The Rites of the Catholic Church 2 (n. 29, p. 81), 132-164, DOL 395 nos. 3253-3262. The Rite of consecration of virgins who belonged to monastic communities without their own proper Rite was revised and published as the variant of the Rite of consecration to a life of virginity in the 1970 Roman Pontifical.
See also: "Ordo Virginum-The Order of Virgins". Office for Religious- Archdiocese of Dublin. 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
^Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL), September 2015 survey.
"A September 2015 survey sent to the 114 episcopal conferences around the world indicated that there are around 4,000 consecrated virgins in the Catholic Church, living in at least 78 countries. (It is worth noting that less than half— 42%— of the countries known to have consecrated virgins responded to the survey, so the actual numbers are likely higher.)" A Consecrated Virgin, July 2017 Archived 2018-07-18 at the Wayback Machine)
^Bernadette Mary Reis, "Church reproposes Order of Virgins 50 years after its restoration", Vatican News, 4 July 2018.
institutes of consecrated life (religious and secular), societies of apostolic life, as well as those living as hermits or consecratedvirgins/widows. According...
ancient practice of women to be consecrated by their bishop as a consecratedvirgin living in the world. These virgins are set aside as sacred persons...
member of an institute of consecrated life, but desire its recognition by the Roman Catholic Church as a form of consecrated life nonetheless, the 1983...
members of religious orders and religious congregations; for hermits, consecratedvirgins, and deaconesses. Judaism and Islam have denounced celibacy, as both...
alluding to members of the Ordo Virginum (Order of Virgins), which applies to the consecratedvirgins known to have existed since the early church from...
just called Saint Verena (c. 260 – c. 320) is an early Christian consecratedvirgin and hermit. She is especially venerated in Switzerland, where her...
society, or association. Forms of Individual Consecrated Life Consecratedvirgins Hermits Institutes of Consecrated Life Religious institutes Monastic Orders...
Younger (Greek: Μακρίνα; c. 327 – 19 July 379) was an early Christian consecratedvirgin. Macrina was elder sister of Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Naucratius...
miles (24 to 29 km)) from Antioch. Having embraced Christianity and consecrated her virginity to God, Margaret was disowned by her father, adopted by...
slave woman, and was raised in a druid's household before becoming a consecratedvirgin. She is patroness of many things, including poetry, learning, healing...
originally an Irish princess who fled an arranged marriage and became a consecratedvirgin in the wilderness of the Kingdom of Powys. She supernaturally protected...
Melangell. The Historia chronicles the legendary life of Melangell, a consecratedvirgin and hermit in the forest of Powys, and her encounter with a prince...
vicar Vicar general Vicar forane Sub-dean Consecrated and professed titles Abbess Abbot Consecratedvirgin Corrector Custos Friar Dean Grand master Hermit...
vicar Vicar general Vicar forane Sub-dean Consecrated and professed titles Abbess Abbot Consecratedvirgin Corrector Custos Friar Dean Grand master Hermit...
by no means unknown for priests who have previously been beneficed or consecrated bishop to return to a curacy (as assistant curate), sometimes as a matter...
Consecrated Virigin". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2022. "Indiana woman becomes rare consecratedvirgin"...
until marriage (likely arranged) or entry into consecrated life. On occasion several consecratedvirgins would live together in a household and form a...
vicar Vicar general Vicar forane Sub-dean Consecrated and professed titles Abbess Abbot Consecratedvirgin Corrector Custos Friar Dean Grand master Hermit...
vicar Vicar general Vicar forane Sub-dean Consecrated and professed titles Abbess Abbot Consecratedvirgin Corrector Custos Friar Dean Grand master Hermit...
involve membership of an institute, such as that of consecrated hermits, that of consecratedvirgins, and other forms whose approval is reserved to the...
also called Genovefa and Genofeva; c. 419/422 AD – 502/512 AD) was a consecratedvirgin, and is the patron saint of Paris in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions...
that of hermits (canon 603) and consecratedvirgins (canon 604). There are two categories of institutes of consecrated life identified in the Code of Canon...
Ambrose of Milan and Satyrus of Milan. Marcellina devoted her life as a consecratedvirgin to the practice of prayer and asceticism. Her feast is on 17 July...
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