Consecrated virgin

In the Catholic Church, a consecrated virgin is a woman who has been consecrated by the church to a life of perpetual virginity in the service of God. Consecrated virgins are to spend their time in works of penance and mercy, in apostolic activity and in prayer, according to their state of life and spiritual gifts. Consecrated virgins should not be confused with consecrated hermits and anchorites, who have a different vocation.

The Christian concept originated in the Vestal Virgins of ancient Roman religion. A life of virginity for the sake of Jesus and the Church, now in the form of Christian monasticism, was already mentioned in the New Testament.

According to Catholic and Orthodox thought, the first sacred virgin was Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was consecrated by the Holy Spirit during the Annunciation. Tradition also has it that the Apostle Matthew consecrated virgins. Apostolic era virgins either continued to live with their own family or lived in a private house, because this form of life predated the foundation of religious orders. A number of early Christian martyrs were women or girls who had given themselves to Christ in perpetual virginity, such as Saint Agnes and Saint Lucy.

During the Middle Ages, the Rite of Consecration of a virgin who lived in the world gradually fell into disuse although individual bishops continued to bestow the consecration to some virgins. At the same time, the rite of consecration was maintained by nuns in monastic orders, such as the Benedictines and Carthusians. This consecration could be done either concurrently with or some time after the profession of solemn vows. Among Carthusian nuns, there is the unique practice of these virgins being entitled to wear a stole, a vestment otherwise reserved to clergy, which gives them certain liturgical privileges, mostly used during their reading of the Gospel at Matins. It has been speculated by scholars that this is a vestige of the Order of deacon.

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