Consecrated Singles - Are they canonically recognized?

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Monica4316 said:
I’m just thinking here, what about people who feel called to a religious vocation but have not been accepted by any order, and they don’t feel called to marriage either? It seems the only option they have left is consecrated single or consecrated virgin… I dont’ think that a career would be a person’s vocation, no matter how effective or meaningful the career might be. What about hermits, they live alone? I’m not sure what the Church teaching is on all this…
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Greetings Monica4316,

Hermits fall under Canon 603. It is a vocation. Hermits take vows in the hands of the diocesean bishop, thereby making solemn public vows.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
 
Greetings to all those posting in this thread,

I guess I started it because I was confused that people were saying that the “Single” state is a vocation. I also was confused because I had never heard of “Consecrated Singles” as well and I wondered where in Canon Law did it cover them.

I guess I am learning a lot about this too.

Thank you all for posting and please continue to do so. I have learnt a great deal.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
 
Anathama_Sit said:
Greetings SerraSemper,

May I ask what papal document you are referring to, I would be interested in reading them.

I would also be interested in any books that you might have to recommend on consecrated life theology, especially the eremetical life.

Thank you so much.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
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Vita Consecrata is a good one to start with (JPII gave one papal Apostolic Exhortation to each of the three states in the Church: ordained (Pastores dabo vobis,) consecrated (Vita consecrata), and lay (Christifidelis laici). Specifically in Vita Consecrata, paragraphs 6-11.

As for eremitical life… I just read a really good book called The Eremitic Life: Encountering God in Silence and Solitude by Fr. Cornelius Wencel (while it is written mostly for religious hermits, most of what he says is applicable to individual hermits under 603). There are other books (mostly in other langauges or doctoral dissertations which are all but impossible to obtain outside of major academic libraries), but I recommend Sr. Laurel O’Neal’s site Stillsong Hermitage online to give tons of practical information on hermits. I myself am currently writing my dissertation on diocesan hermits and hope to turn that into a normal book once it’s completed.
 
TiggerS said:
For anyone interested in Consecrated Virginity, much information is availble here and is a blog written by a consecrated virgin:
sponsa-christi.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-church-has-written-on-consecrated.html
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This is indeed a wonderful blog, however, I would caution readers that the author is one of a minority of consecrated virgins who believes that consecrated virginity in the world is to model itself from the religious life paradigm. A ton of information (hundreds of pages from different Church documents and saints on the vocation) in the information packet can be obtained for free (just download it) at www.consecratedvirgins.org which is the website of the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins. Its episcopal moderator was Cardinal Burke and is now Bishop Boyea. It is a professional organization of consecrated virgins (like there are professional associations for doctors, accountants, etc.). As a consecrated virgin myself, I happen to belong to the majority of CVs and around the world (yes, I’ve read their literature and doctoral dissertations in several languages - Spanish, French, Italian…) that believe the vocation of those “living in the world” means precisely that we are consecrated virgins leading spousal (not separated from the world like religious) lives.
 
Anathama_Sit said:
Greetings Brdegaulois,

Pardon what may seem to be ignorance on my part, but where does Religious and Hermits fit in with your division of four states of life.

I had always heard the four states of life were 1. Priests or Ordained, 2. Religious, 3. Eremtical, and 4. Married.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
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Hmmm… the reason I had originally asked is that there are three ways of understanding “states of life” in the Church.

One: In the hierarchical view (which is a totally valid division): Hierarchs (clergy) and Laity.

Two: In the Canonical States of Life view: Clerics, Lay, and Consecrated (each has their own canons)

Three: According to the Vocational States (popular way of talking about each vocation approved in the Church - for example, if I’m married, I’m in the “married state”): priesthood, episcopacy, diaconate, secular institutes, religious, eremitical, consecrated virginity, married, personal prelature, apostolic society…)

Take a married person. In the first view, he/she is in the laity, the second, in the laity, and the third, the married state.

Take a solemnly vowed female religious. In the first view, she is laity that-is-not-hierarchy, in the second view, she is canonically in the consecrated state (not considered lay see canon 588), and the third, she is in the religious state.

Does this make sense? One of the best visuals for #3 is a poster I use for vocation talks called The Vocation Tree (www.VocationTree.com).
 
SerraSemper said:
Vita Consecrata is a good one to start with (JPII gave one papal Apostolic Exhortation to each of the three states in the Church: ordained (Pastores dabo vobis,) consecrated (Vita consecrata), and lay (Christifidelis laici). Specifically in Vita Consecrata, paragraphs 6-11.

As for eremitical life… I just read a really good book called The Eremitic Life: Encountering God in Silence and Solitude by Fr. Cornelius Wencel (while it is written mostly for religious hermits, most of what he says is applicable to individual hermits under 603). There are other books (mostly in other langauges or doctoral dissertations which are all but impossible to obtain outside of major academic libraries), but I recommend Sr. Laurel O’Neal’s site Stillsong Hermitage online to give tons of practical information on hermits. I myself am currently writing my dissertation on diocesan hermits and hope to turn that into a normal book once it’s completed.
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Greetings SerraSemper,

Thank you for the papal documents. I shall be downloading them or getting them into text form so I can read them on my Kindle.

I shall check into the books of eremetical life. I would be interested in reading your dissertation when it turns in a book. Please feel free to contact me via Personal Message. Good luck on your disseration.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
 
SerraSemper said:
Hmmm… the reason I had originally asked is that there are three ways of understanding “states of life” in the Church.

One: In the hierarchical view (which is a totally valid division): Hierarchs (clergy) and Laity.

Two: In the Canonical States of Life view: Clerics, Lay, and Consecrated (each has their own canons)

Three: According to the Vocational States (popular way of talking about each vocation approved in the Church - for example, if I’m married, I’m in the “married state”): priesthood, episcopacy, diaconate, secular institutes, religious, eremitical, consecrated virginity, married, personal prelature, apostolic society…)

Take a married person. In the first view, he/she is in the laity, the second, in the laity, and the third, the married state.

Take a solemnly vowed female religious. In the first view, she is laity that-is-not-hierarchy, in the second view, she is canonically in the consecrated state (not considered lay see canon 588), and the third, she is in the religious state.

Does this make sense? One of the best visuals for #3 is a poster I use for vocation talks called The Vocation Tree (www.VocationTree.com).
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Greetings SerraSemper,

Yes okay I’ll agree with this division. I just have never “thought” about it this way, but it does make sense. Thank you so much for broadening my point of view.

The more I live the more I learn. Wow how indeed complicated the Church can be at times. I once heard that our Catholic Faith can be simple as we need it to be, and yet complex as we need it to be. There is nothing borish about our faith.

So what degree are you pursuing?

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
 
bardegaulois said:
I might be going off topic a little bit, but the way I understand it, there are four general states in life: ordained regular, lay regular, ordained secular, and lay secular. The lay secular is our default state in life, through which we pass our entire childhood and a certain share of our adulthood as well, even if we are called to another state. The married are a subset of the lay secular, but share something profoundly in common with the other states: that they are so through a vow made and/or a sacrament received in response to a vocation.

From a traditional viewpoint, the very concept of a “consecrated single” is somewhat strange, largely, I’d say, because there seems to be little precedent for it in the history of the Church. One could look back on the lives of the great lay regulars, perhaps, but one profound difference emerges: the evangelical counsel of obedience to a superior. To whom is a “consecrated single” obedient? And what are his or her duties, both of these additionally to those required of every Christian and those of their worldly profession? The idea strikes me as rather like one of those classes of monks for whom St. Benedict expressed his distaste at the opening of his Rule.

There have been bachelors and spinsters since the dawn of time, and there likely will be forever. Some choose to be so, and others do not. But we are social animals, and the Lord Himself said that it is not good for us to be alone. All of the effective and wise celibate people I know scarcely consider their celibacy as any kind of a vocation, but rather as a situation in which they have found themselves after missing opportunities for marriage or being blackballed by a religious institute or suchlike. They rather consider their calling in life what one might consider a secondary vocation: being an excellent teacher, being an excellent doctor, being an excellent psychologist, and so forth. Indeed, their lives are profoundly socially oriented, and the good they do in this world comes not through their celibacy, but from their profession.

It strikes me that the trend toward an increase in consecrated singles, secular institutes, and such parallels the drive to inclusivism that we see in our society–as to say, if you are not a priest, a religious, or married, don’t feel left out. But celibacy is not socially ordered, and I think those who are celibate by will or by circumstance would do better to cultivate a secondary vocation in which they may do good for others.

Just my thoughts. I’d be interested to hear what you have to say.
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This might be a matter of semantics, but I have to disagree that celibacy is not socially ordered. My single celibacy (I’m not saying it’s a big V “Vocation”, but I am considering a private vow or promise) allows me more time for service, prayer, contemplation, and the care of my extended family and friends than I would have as a married person. A couple of good books that talk about the FRUITFULNESS and social aspect of celibacy and virginity are:

Virginity

and

The Mystery of Love for the Single

You may be confusing a celibate single person with someone who sits at home and lives a selfish life that is all about “me me me”? If celibacy were not “socially ordered” our dear priests would be in a sad state. And where would that leave our relationship to Jesus Christ and His Mother, the original celibate models for the Church??? Celibacy, lived intentionally, can be a gift to God and the world. That’s pretty durn social. 👍

God bless,
cecilia
 
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