Great wedding dresses for consecrated virginity

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I knew a girl who was just a toddler. She liked to dress up in old lace curtains because she was a bride. When asked who her husband would be, she said she didn’t need a husband to be a bride. She intended to dress that way all the time without a husband or a ceremony.

Apparently she just liked the idea of walking around in a long white curtain and posing on the stairs with artificial flowers. Forever a bride, and forever a toddler.
 
I’m confused why someone who is not becoming a nun would do this. Why not just say, “I don’t feel called to either marriage or the convent, so I’ll just be content being single and if the right guy just happens to come along, so be it.”

Like, why lock in virginity if not to become a nun?

Not saying it’s a bad thing or anything, I just don’t quite understand it.
 
Why be a priest when you can just be a single celibate man?

A consecrated virgin isn’t quite the same as just a woman with a perpetual vow of virginity. It’s a particular vocation within the church that’s a representation of the bond between Christ and the church.
 
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It’s a call to a particular vocation. For example, a man discerning a vocation to the priesthood may also discern being a priest in a religious order, and then discern the order he is called to. Why don’t religious brothers become priests since they are going to be celibate and devote their lives to God?

The late Fr. Michael Scanlan wrote about his discernment process in his book, “What Does God Want?”
 
This post by @SerraSemper explains the difference in detail.
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consecrated virgins Vocations
I think that is a very misinformed blog post and should be taken with large grains of salt. First of all, the fastest growing vocation in the Church for women outside of human marriage is becoming a Bride of Christ in the Ordo Virginum (Order of Virgins), also known as becoming sacred virgins or “consecrated virgins”. This blog post erroneously thinks that it is “consecrated single life”. The Church doesn’t define sacred virginity as “consecrated single life”. She defines the sacred virgin …
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I have to ask, is it actually 10 years from joining the church?

I’m at a bit over 5 right now.
 
I just appreciate Fr. Scanlan’s journey, and his wisdom. How he discerned his vocation demonstrates how to listen to God’s will but also exercise one’s free will. IIRC he was in law school and was walking on a path at Harvard and he knew he was called to the priesthood. He told God “Yes” but also, “I promised by mom I’d finish law school.” 🙂 He finished law school and went into the seminary right after.
 
One has to be at least 30 and the OP is 20, so 10 years. One of the CV’s I read about was 30 or 31 when she was consecrated and I think she started discerning when she was 25.
 
Ah that’s different.

Somewhat mirrors my own thoughts. I’ve been pretty sure for the last 20 years that I have no call to marriage, but at 30 I feel much more confident to say that I understand the decisions out there and that I’m not going to do something I’d regret. (It’s always possible, of course - but plenty of people regret marriages too!) As I recall my pastor for RCIA advised converts to wait for 3 years before beginning discernment as well.
 
But a religious brother is devoting their entire life to that calling. As I understand it, a consecrated virgin lives a normal secular life with a job and a car payment and everything else, and just vows never to marry.

It just seems…odd to me, I guess. Like, why not just be single, stay chaste, and if you never feel a call to marriage, cool?

I don’t know. I’m probably not explaining it well. I’m not trying to knock anyone’s vocation if that’s what they sincerely think God wants, it just seems unnecessary to me. Like a vow to religious life is a vow to affirmatively do something. A vow of perpetual virginity is just to NOT do something, which is the default setting anyway for single people.
 
Probably 5 to 10 years after I join the church I should maybe be confirmed next year or in 2020. In 2020 I’ll be 21 and I’ll have a whole decade please keep me in your prayers God bless you.
 
BoomBoomMancini said:
But a religious brother is devoting their entire life to that calling.
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A sacred virgin does the same but as a bride of Christ.
BoomBoomMancini said:
As I understand it, a consecrated virgin lives a normal secular life with a job and a car payment and everything else, and just vows never to marry.
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I see more similarities, mainly living for God alone. What is different is that most religious brothers and sisters live in community and CVs don’t. But virginity is required of a CV, but not of a brother or sister. I wish @SerraSemper would chime in because she explained it beautifully some time ago;iirc the thread was deleted or I’d link it.
Here’s another description of the vocation:
http://ldysinger.stjohnsem.edu/@magist/1939_Pius12/054_sacr-virg/sacr_virg.htm
 
I know it is not of the style
When I was 13 I wanted to go into the army. I told myself this is no game no playing around im here to protect my country.
Now that im a adult I should probably rather get involved donations charity and feeding the hungry helping the poor. I would plenty of time then.
I would also like to give blood which I was raised to be a Jehovah’s witnesses and they don’t believe in taking blood it would be so exciting for the first time to donate blood to people who need it. I would also love the red Cross helping them. I would love to help the animals to who are in danger.

One concentrated (sorry for my spelling) virgin is a teacher
One I heard is a nurse
If I become one then my earthly profession would be helping people a Catholic YouTuber. (Big YouTubers get to do make a wish for kids and I would love to help kids.) I could share the joys of God to everyone across the world.
Im not in it for the fame money or anything like that on YouTube. I just want to lead people to God. I will be 20 years this year. I want to Fuffil our Lady message and make her know not me I want to spread the message of God.

So yes I am prepared to take on any cross I would do anything for Jesus.
 
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It is refreshing for me to see your enthusiasm. As an older woman I see things from a different perspective but I really hope your dreams will come true and your faith will grow strong and mature. Many blessings for your life.
 
Bruised_Reed said:
One has to be at least 30 and the OP is 20, so 10 years. One of the CV’s I read about was 30 or 31 when she was consecrated and I think she started discerning when she was 25.
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I haven’t been able to locate any document that says the woman has to be 30 years old. Where did you get that information?
BoomBoomMancini said:
It just seems…odd to me, I guess. Like, why not just be single, stay chaste, and if you never feel a call to marriage, cool?
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There are a variety of vocations in the Church, of course, and Our Lord does indeed call some to live a hidden life in the world. That is, they are consecrated to Him through vows, but their vows are not generally known outside of their inner circle.

A similar vocation is membership in a secular institute. These men and women live consecrated lives in the world as well.

I’m sorry, but it is way past my bedtime, and I just can’t find the words to describe this well. If you’re interested in knowing more, here is a link to the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins:

https://consecratedvirgins.org/
 
Gertabelle said:
I haven’t been able to locate any document that says the woman has to be 30 years old. Where did you get that information?
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I found a reference to it in a couple of articles on CVs but I knew a woman who was discerning this and it’s a random thing I remember her saying or in the materials she had.
 
From the official website CV citated also by @gertabelle ‘The Consecration as such has no upper age limit. At the other end of the scale, there is no certain age that one should have attained before one can receive the Consecration. Dioceses may choose to set a minimum age, but the important point is that the woman be of mature character, that she have lived in tranquil continence for a number of years, and that from all indications she will persevere in perpetual chastity.’
 
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