The Ordo Virginum or the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity for a
Woman Living in the World: A Brief History of the Great
Renewal in the 20th and 21st Centuries ©
Jewel
E. Brennan, Ph.D., D.Min. Ordo Virginum, Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, USA
Veni Creator Spiritus, mentes tuorum visita! Come Creator Spirit, visit our minds!
Note: There is much historical and theological
information. I would like my listeners
to just absorb where the spirit moves you to remember. You will have printed handouts to take home
with you for meditation and further study as you wish So,
please, just sit back and let the
Holy Spirit do His part from us to you.
The
rite for the consecration of virgins at present found in the Roman Pontifical is to be revised.” [1]
These eighteen words take up very
little space among the Sixteen Documents promulgated at the end of the Second
Vatican Council in 1964. Though short in length, they are not insignificant. I
will repeat them again: The rite for the consecration of virgins at
present found in the Roman Pontifical is
to be revised.”
The existence of an ancient liturgical
Rite of Consecration for Virgins Living in the World was important enough to be
included in the very first document declared by the Council Fathers, Sacrosanctum Concilium or the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. The focus of Sacrosanctum Concillium is the renewal and deeper understanding of
Liturgy.
In our times these words have changed the understanding of women who
have been consecrated to a life of virginity. These words are found in
paragraph 80.
These words are not just about the renewal
of a little known ancient rite of the consecration of a virgin, established in
the Apostolic Age of the Church and known as the Ordo Consecratium Virginum.[2] Rather these words lead us back a renewed
deeper understanding of the life of Mary, Mother of God, our Virgin and Mother.
She is the model par excellence. The Church had not yet been established by her
Son when her intention to belong to God alone was confirmed by the
overshadowing of the Holy Spirit and we celebrate this on the Feast of the
Annunciation. Her total gift of self to
God has moved thousands of virgins to follow her example as ever Virgin. Mary’s “Fiat
voluntas tua,”[3] her ready “Yes” to the Holy Spirit
overshadowing her and consecrating her sacred intention. The Liturgical Rite of
Virgins reflects the Annunciation event.
During the liturgical Rite of Virgins our bishops, praying the
Consecratory Prayer over us, call upon the Holy Spirit to overshadow our sacred
intentions or propositium[4]. As thousands before us, we strive to
follow, Mary’s holy resolution or propositium to give herself completely to God. At the
moment of her Fiat, she becomes
eternally the ever Virgin and Mother of all who follow her Son. Throughout the centuries but perhaps
accentuated today, in a world of sexual
freedoms and disregard for the Commandments an laws of the Church, many view the consecration of a woman to a
life of virginity in service to the Church as foolishness. The Consecrated Virgin like Mary her role
model, is called to witness to the value of virtues of modesty and self-giving
to all people through the Church. It is a blessing which leads to spiritual
motherhood, not only of Christians but of all God’s children.
In the Old Covenant virginity before marriage was encouraged and praised
but the married woman who was childless was also considered to be cursed and in
disfavor with God. The New Covenant theology of virginity is changed with
Mary’s acceptance of God’s favor to make her the Virgin Mother of Jesus. This is beautifully described by the French
Marianist priest, Ignace de la Potterie:
The angel does not address Mary with her name but with a
“title”, “Full of Grace”…at the end of the narrative (Luke: 1:26-32) when Mary
gives her consent she calls herself “The handmaid of the Lord.” Christian virginity begins here. For the first time in history, virginity is
no longer a malediction but a benediction.[5]
There has always been a place in the
history of the Church for the virtue of Christian virginity. Virginity of itself is not a virtue but
virginity for the sake of the Lord and His Church has been exalted as a
vocation given by God and to be preserved. Christian Virginity begins with
Mary, Ever Virgin, Mother of God, and Mother of the Church. The Rite of
Consecration for virgins living in the world had become rare for centuries. It
had diminished but it was never fully discontinued by the Church. This decline occurred, in part, for several
reasons:
(1)
Religious communities for the widows and virgins had developed by the 4th
Century AD. In the early Middle Ages,
during the war invasions in various countries, there was a need to protect
women by having them live together in groups, usually with a separate nearby
men’s monastery of the same founder, such as the Benedictines, Augustinians,
Dominicans and later the Franciscans. In all of these situations women were
cloistered;
(2)
Some virgins had deserted their vocation and it was difficult for the diocesan
bishops to manage their whereabouts, such that many of the hierarchy were no
longer inclined to spiritually and legislatively administer to the consecrated
virgin living in the world (and there is still some of that today as many
bishops, like many of us, did not grow up knowing about consecrated virgins
living in the world.
3)
During the late Middle Ages through the 19th centuries, religious
institutes or communities of women were being founded. These were not
cloistered sisters but served an “active” role outside of monasteries. The
charisms of these founders were to serve various needs of the church for education,
care of the sick and the poor, and foreign missionary work. Examples of such founders where St. Vincent
DePaul with St. Katherine, St. Katherine Drexel, St. Elizabeth Seton, St.
Francis Cabrini. While many of these
women were virgins or if not they lived chaste lives and some had been widows
and mothers. Physical virginity is not required for religious profession and
that is one of the reasons why sisters take a Vow of Chastity, not virginity.
There was also the development of secular institutes (some with and some
without vows) often affiliated with some of the older Orders such as
Dominicans, Augustinians, and Franciscans.
These “active” communities were now also available to the virgin woman
who wanted to serve the church and receive consecration through profession of
religious vows or secular institute membership.
Until Vatican II, generally, women, the clergy and the laity had little
or no idea that an ancient ritual of consecration of a virgin living in the
world even existed. For those of us who were growing up prior to Vatican II, we
did not know there was a Rite to a Life of Virginity for a Woman Living in the
World.
Over
the centuries the Ordo Virginum or Rite of Virgins Living in the world had
taken various liturgical forms, though always administered by a bishop
according to the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Clement I around 95 AD. In various liturgical forms the Order of
Virgins, even though not well known, continued to survive more than 2000 years
into the 21st century. Though diminished it was never abolished.
There are authors and lecturers who state that the ancient rite of consecrating
virgins who lived in the world had ended or at least had been discontinued in
the history of the Church. While there
were periods of opposition and temporary suspensions, the consecration of
virgins, some not in religious life, has continued throughout all the
centuries of the Church’s life. It is of
God and the work of the Holy Spirit. In some jurisdictions and even at times
some popes, women called to the life of virginity or celibacy in the world were
severely discouraged from seeking the Rite.
Unfortunately despite the promulgation of the Rite by the Vatican, this
situation continues in some dioceses and parishes around the world. “Catechesis
is needed so that consecration of virgins does not remain an unpracticed rite.”[6]Today,
under the movement of the Holy Spirit guiding the Church, the Ordo Virginum is
flourishing beyond expectations. Like
the good seed hidden in the ground for centuries, the Order of Virgins has
again sprung into a great renewal era in of the Church in the 20th
and 21st century. Today it is estimated the number of virgins consecrated by
the bishops around the world is approaching 6000. It is a blazing fire of love inspired by the
Holy Spirit.
How did this renewal of the Ordo Virginum come to
flourish in the 20th and 21st Centuries?
Who were the major players in the
stages of the Catholic Church’s history chapters on the Ordo Virginum? What events led to its exponential growth
into our 21st Century? Let us reflect
on several major ecclesial events further promoting this new renewal in modern
times: The Early 20th Century Virgins (1900-1960). The Ordo Virginum
owe much to the support and guidance of the Popes and especially the Vatican
Congregation for Consecrated Life.
1.
St.
Pope John XXIII
2.
St.
Pope Paul VI & the Vatican II Era. (1962-1965)
3.
St.
Pope John Paul II – Updated Canon Law, Wrote Vita Consecrata
4.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI further
contributions through liturgy and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
5. Pope Francis I, July 4,
2018, approved the Instruction for the Ordo Virginum: Ecclesiae Sponsa Imago or Spousal
Image of the Church.
1. The Early 20th Century Virgins (1900-1970)
It may come as a surprise for some to
learn that the beginning of Bishops’ consecrating virgins living in the world
began to grow again in the 20th century decades before the
convocation of Vatican II. There are
specific contributions first of Cardinal Giovanni Montini who would later
become St Pope Paul VI. He is in practical
ways the patron of Consecrated Virgins Living in the World. After his death on the Feast of the
Transfiguration, August, 6th, 1978. The consecration liturgies in
the early 20th century and even in the early years of Vatican II
were often not as formal and widely publicized as they are today. Until 1970 there was no official approved
rite in the Roman Pontifical yet and even that had to be translated into the
local languages and approved by the bishop’s conferences of each country as
well as the Vatican Congregation for Worship.
Because
the existing forms of the Rite of Virgins were not well known and there was not
a lot of interest in the early 20th century, there were and still
are authors and lecturers who state that the ancient rite of consecrating
virgins who lived in the world had ended or at least had been discontinued in
the history of the Church. While there
were periods of opposition and temporary suspensions, the consecration of
virgins, some not in religious life, has continued throughout all the centuries
of the Church’s life. It is of God and
the work of the Holy Spirit. In some jurisdictions and even at times some
popes, women called to the life of virginity or celibacy in the world were
severely discouraged from seeking the Rite.
Unfortunately despite the promulgation of Vatican II this situation
continues in some dioceses and parishes around the world. “Often women who live
virginity for the kingdom of God are not aware of the possibility of receiving
liturgical consecration. Catechesis is
needed so that consecration of virgins does not remain an unpracticed rite.”[7]
From the beginning of the 20th
century, there is definite evidence of these challenges to the practice of
Bishops consecrating virgins in various parts of the world. Sometimes consecrations took place with or
without papal knowledge and/or known approval. This is evident from the use of
the various pontifical rites in France, Germany and even China. Often the
consecration of virgins living outside of religious communities continued to
take place occasionally with little fanfare in various locations.
China: One example is the aunt of
Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei (1901– 2000) of China. Martha Pin Mei was a consecrated virgin and
administered a small village school.[8]
She taught classical Chinese and Catholic Catechism. She also had a major role in the spiritual
development of her nephew, Ignatius, who would become a priest and eventually
receive the Cardinal’s red hat. When he was a child, each Saturday she would
walk Ignatius with his brother to the parish church for confession. Many years later Cardinal Kung would credit his
vocation to the priesthood to the influence of this consecrated virgin, his
aunt Martha.[9]
The depth of Cardinal Kung’s faith in suffering imprisonment for his
convictions and Church leadership had been nurtured by his consecrated aunt
while he was a little boy. Of Cardinal Kung, Venerable Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
in 1952 once wrote, “The West has its Mindszenty, but the East has its
Kung. God is glorified in His Saints.”
Chinese Martha Pin Mei truly exemplified the spiritual motherhood of the
Consecrated Virgin serving the needs of the Church, the Spouse of Christ.
France
& Belgium: In early 20th century France and Belgium,
while Benedict XV was pope, there was an interest at this time for the return
of this vocation among Cardinal Cabrieres
in France and Cardinal Mercier in Malines, Belgium. They wanted to see the rebirth of this life of consecration
lived in the world. Cardinal Cabrieres had asked Pope Benedict XV for
the authorization to consecrate several women of his diocese. The Pope
responded to him: “You have the
Pontifical; it belongs to you.”[10] Therefore, Cardinal Cabrieres consecrated
Marie Reynes on November 21, 1916 and
also others living in his diocese. He used the 6th century Leonine Pontifical, attributed to Pope Leo I. One of the women Cardinal Cabrieres
consecrated was Marie Boyer of Bouillane
who was a cousin of Anne Laflaive. Anne Laflaive at age 22 would begin to learn
about the Rite from her cousin, Marie.
Anne continued to meet with her cousin, who initially did not share too
much. She then prepared carefully to
understand it under the direction of her spiritual advisors. The story of Anne LaFlaive is very special in
teaching us how the Holy Spirit works.
Do not ever think that we are only one person and cannot have any
influence in changing the Church or even the World. Anne LaFlaive was a chosen soul and her
vocation would be not only to be a consecrated virgin but to use the lamp of
her virginal grace to set a bonfire that would cause the Ordo Virginum to be
lighted all over the world in at least 60 countries!
A few years later, it is certain that Pope
Benedict XV had authorized Cardinal Cabrieres to consecrate Anne on January 6,
1924 but as the date approached both Cardinal Cabrieres and Pope Benedict XV
had died. Nevertheless Bishop Chassagnon
wrote to her the month before and told her the consecration would be
granted. He advised he wished to use the
Carmelite chapel at Paray-le-Monial but he insisted there be silence about her
consecration. Her parents could be told
but her siblings were not mentioned.
After her consecration which took place as scheduled on her 25th
birthday, Anne continued to live with her family as before. She dressed as before in the manner of other
women of her time and social class.[11]
Anne
Laflaive (1899 – 1987) would become an awe-inspiring pioneer whose life long
desire was to see a full “reawakening” of her forgotten vocation. Anne was active in founding a Catholic Action
group of women and in this capacity began to meet members of the hierarchy who
would later become advocates for the renewal of the ancient rite of
consecration for virgins living in the world.
She would work tirelessly, with many disappointments and outright
opposition for the next 35 years to advocate for the consecration of virgins in
the world. By now there was an
increasing small number of consecrated virgins and they began meeting regularly
to pray and study together and to support one another in promoting their
vocation. At the encouragement of her
bishop, Anne kept many notes and wrote several books on the vocation of
consecrated virginity lived in the world. It is from these that her special
friendships with several popes is known.
These friendships would provide much impetus for the inclusion of the
renewal of the Rite of Consecrated Virgins lived in the world during the
renewal of the liturgy during Vatican II.
In 1927,
while Benedict XV was pope, the Vatican was aware of this ancient rite as it
continued to be given for cloistered nuns in monasteries usually the
Benedictines who had this long tradition. The Congregation for Religious was
asked to consider giving this privilege to religious congregations of active
sisters as well. The question of whether this was expedient was taken up in the
February 25, 1927 Plenary Meeting of the Sacred Congregation for Religious and
received a negative response. When Pope Pius XII stated in Sponsa
Christi that the rite was
reserved to nuns, he was simply stating a fact and this was not a denial of the
value of the rite for women living in the world. Authors gave various
explanations for the 1927 decision. Some judged that the practice of
consecrating virgins was obsolete and there was nothing on it in the 1917 Code
of Canon Law. Others believed Church authority did not favor innovations and
that the consecration of virgins
living in the world would be an affront to religious. Still others spoke of the
danger which would be faced by such consecrated women living in their own
homes. Further arguments noted that only religious institutes and societies
permitted such a public or quasi-public juridic state.[12]
This meant only women professed in vows wee canonically considered in a state
which is neither clerical nor lay. Canon 604 of the 1983 Code was not yet
formulated. In 1927, the time was “not
yet.”
Despite this disappointment Anne
Laflaive did not give up. She began
visiting Rome several times a year for purposes of promoting her vocation. She
was befriended by several of the hierarchy, not the least of which was a young
Bishop Giovanni Montini, later to become Cardinal and Pope Paul VI. While
granting the rite to religious sisters in active communities was forbidden the
rite for consecrated virgins living in the world was not prevented before
Vatican II.
During her trips to Rome, Anne searched
for a way to advance the canonical recognition of the Consecration of Virgins
for women living in the world. In 1956,
she treated this subject in her book Espouse du Christ, a re-named edition of her 1934 work Study
of the Consecrations of Virgins in the Roman Pontifical. After the Council, in 1968, she re-worked
her book under the title of La Femme et
l’Eglise. At the time in
France when the first women pastors were being ordained in the reformed
churches, Anne was not in favor of ordination of women in the Catholic
Church. In her book, women and the
Church she wrote instead of ordination “Christ
and His Church offer to women a gift of great plentitude” which is notably
represented by the Consecration of Virgins [already] inscribed in the Roman
Pontifical. [13]
From the late 40s to the early 60s
Anne had contacts and conversations with the future Bl. John XXIII, when he was Nuncio in Paris, and with the future
Pope Paul VI. During her visits to Rome
each spring her purpose would always be about the reawakening of the
Consecration for secular women. Whenever she could engage in conversations with
high Church dignitaries. From 1951 onward, she was in close communication with
the future Pope Paul VI who took great interest in the virgins living in the
world. In May 1952, she spoke of the
Consecration for more nearly an hour, face to face with Pope Pius XII.[14] At this time she and other virgins had the
support and friendship of Cardinal Montini.
When she visited Italy she was surprised to meet up with a group of
Italian consecrated virgins. Later in
the 50’s when St. Pope John XXIII called the Vatican II Ecumenical Council,
Anne and other virgins begged Cardinal Montini to remember them especially
since the awakening of Liturgical renewal and practices was to be an important
goal of the Council. Cardinal Montini
did not forget. He was Archbishop of
Milan and it is known that he gave many lectures on Christian Virginity and
Consecration of Virgins prior to Vatican II.
The Vatican Council was called by St. Pope
John XXIII in 1959. It began in October
1962. 8 months later, in the providence
of the Holy Spirit, Cardinal Giovanni Baptista Montini on June, 21, 1963 would
become the successor and assumed the name Pope Paul VI. He would remain pope until his death on the
Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6, 1978.
The year is very significant for me because on the 50th
anniversary of his own priestly ordination in Rome, on July 29th in
1928, Bishop George W. Ahr, (deceased) would consecrate me at the Bishop’s
House in Trenton. Bishop Ahr was a
Vatican II Council Father and himself learned about the Rite of Virgins through
the Council discussions. He became my
spiritual director (one of the greatest gifts in my life from God). He prepared me for a number of years while he
was waiting for an English translation.
There was no “road map” for the formation of a consecrated virgin living
in the world. It was 1978. He had visited earlier that year with Pope
Paul VI and the Rite of Virgins was discussed.
However while using the renewed Rite was promulgated by Pope Paul in
May, 1970, there was still no approved English form by rite by the USA bishops. There was no Canon 604 in existence, but soon
that would be the legacy of St. Pope John Paul II. It was determined that it
would be appropriate to use an earlier approved Rite since there was none in
the USA. Moreover Canon 604 requiring an
approved Rite didn’t exist for 5 more years to come. My consecration was in Latin and English.
2. St. Pope John XXIII:
Pope Paul was in the Vatican service in
Rome and was close to St. Pope John XXIII.
The two had common agreement on the value of consecrated virgins serving
in the Church. Perhaps because of
his relatively short pontificate, Pope John XXIII did not write an encyclical
or other document on consecrated virginity.
However in his encyclical Sacerdotii
Nostri Primorida [15]
on St. John Vianney, patron of priests, he referred to Sacra Virginitas the work of his predecessor, Pius XII. He asked priests to follow the exhortations
given in Sacra Virginitas for the
protection of their own priesthood.
Venerable
Brethren, do all you can and spare no effort to see to it that the clergy
entrusted to your care may enjoy living and working conditions that will best
foster and be of service to their ardent zeal. This means that every effort
should be exerted to eliminate the dangers that arise from too great an
isolation, to issue timely warnings against unwise or imprudent actions, and
last of all to check the dangers of idleness or of too much external activity.
In this regard, you should recall the wise directives issued by our immediate
Predecessor in the Encyclical Sacra
Virginitas. (34)Consecrated Virgins not only have a role in
spiritual motherhood, but they have a serious obligation to always pray for the
needs of the Church and in particular, for the needs of all our clergy,
priests, deacons, and bishop and the Holy Father himself.
3. St.
Pope Paul VI
When
Pope John XXIII died between the 1st and 2nd sessions of
Vatican II, and Anne’s friend, Giovanni Cardinal Montini was elected pope, Anne
knew her 40 years of prayers and tears and advocacy would have a holy
outcome. After the Council’s approval of
the renewal of the Rite, she worked with Bishops to consider the history of the
Rite and the lives of individual virgin saints and to foster awareness that
this rite should be given with great prudence and rarely. Anne had a private audience with Pope Paul VI
and in April 1970, when she was in Rome she met him again in a private
audience. Mademoiselle de Noue, who accompanied Anne, was astounded
at the warm reception the Holy Father gave personally to Anne. It should be
noted that the next month Paul VI promulgated the decree Consecrationis Virginum, 31 May 1970, nearly 50 years
ago. The official title of the Rite is: Rite of a Woman to a Life of Virginity in
the World used throughout the universal Church. Anne was now 71 years old
and had seen the fruit of her decades of work to promote this Rite. On August 13, 1987, Anne was called to her
eternal reward with her Spouse, Jesus Christ.[16]
In addition to
Anne Laflaive and the small number of known consecrated virgins from France,
and Belgium, it became known at Vatican II was opening, some Italian women, not
religious, had also received the rite of virginity. These women who had been consecrated as
virgins by their Bishops who at the Vatican Council, also sought to have the
Church renew the Ancient Rite of Consecrated Virgins Living in the World. When the first priority of the Council
Fathers was the work of the renewal of the Liturgy, presented in Sacrosanctum Concilium[17]
clearly one of the reforms would be that of the consecrated virgins who were
not religious, but yet there was a liturgical precedence to the first century
of the Church, several centuries before the monastic communities for women were
develop. Liturgical renewal called for a
return to the earliest worship practices of the Church.
Even before the
start of Vatican II, as previously noted, a younger Bishop and then Cardinal
Giovanni Battista Montini was a prime mentor of the promotion of the Rite of
Consecrated Virgins. Separate from his spiritual support of Anne Laflaive and
other consecrated virgins, he himself promoted the Rite in his own
jurisdictions. In Brescia, Italy, a
young Giovanni Battista Montini met consecrated virgins and then began to
nurture groups of consecrated virgins[18]
and continued this practice throughout the remainder of his life. When he became the Patriarch of Milan,
Montini assigned Fr. Emilio Rivolta to organize church services of a group of
six young women who would serve the diocesan Church. Montini then wrote Meditatione, a series of meditations which he addressed to
consecrated virgins.[19] These reflections would become the seeds of
the renewal formulation of the Rite.
The Vatican II Council tasks were assigned to various
Commissions. One Commission studied the
twofold questions about the rite of religious profession and the renewal of
vows, and other existing ceremonies such as the Rite of Virgins who were not
religious. The Council fathers voted to
update these texts 2207 in the affirmative and 39 in the negative. Subsequently the Preparatory Commission under
the explicit direction of Pope Paul VI amended the proposal for updating to
include the Consecration to a life of
Virginity for a Woman Living in the World.[20]
Paul VI not only encouraged the formats of Sacrosanctum Concilium but, as Pope
would have the historical privilege of promulgating Sacrosanctum Concilium together with its inclusion of the Rite of
Consecrated Virgins. Vatican II’s second session’s last meeting approved a
sweeping reform of the public worship of the Church passing the liturgical
constitution by an overwhelming majority vote of 2,147 to 4. A tremendous burst
of applause greeted the announcement of the vote, making it the law of the
Church.[21] Again at the end of the Vatican Council on
Dec. 8th, 1965, because the cause of the consecrated virgins had
been so dear to him for decades, Pope Paul specifically mentioned the
consecrated virgins as a distinct group among women in his otherwise very short
Vatican Council II closing speech:
“...to you also consecrated
virgins and women living alone .And you, women living alone, realize what you
can accomplish through your dedicated vocation.
Society is appealing to you on all sides. Not even families can live without the help
of those who have no families. Especially you, consecrated virgins in a world
where egoism and the search for pleasure would become law, be the guardians of
purity, unselfishness, and piety. Jesus
who has given to conjugal love all of its plentitudes has also exalted the
renouncement of human love when this is for the sake of divine love and for the
services of all.” [22]
In addition to the inclusion of the
renewal of the rite of consecration of virginity for a woman living in the
world in the Council document, Pope Paul VI immediately formed a commission to
work on the renewal of the Rite. Part of
the important work of this commission was to develop a deeper understanding of
the indissoluble nature of the form of consecration of a virgin woman to a life
of virginity. By 1970, the Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for Divine
Worship,[23]
representing the committees studying the indissoluble nature of the Rite of
Consecrated Virginity published on this matter. Regarding the Consecration
Rite’s inclusion of the sacred propositium,
the committees concluded, “It is in
itself irrevocable and entails a permanent self-giving for it demands a
precondition, a persistent and constant spirit, an upright life, wise, prudent,
mature option, and ecclesial service.”[24]
More importantly wording in the Rite
itself, including the prepared homily offered in the Pontifical which may be
given by the bishop and specifically refers to this Rite as a covenant that
lasts forever. The Latin words of the Rite are literally translated as an
indissoluble bond. They speak of the call to the vocation of lifelong virginity
for the sake of the Kingdom of God as a call directly from God. It reflects the call of the Virgin Mary and
of the Church as the Bride of Christ.
On the theology of the virgin’s propositum, Sister Sharon Holland has
provided insights based on her many years of experience as a canon lawyer
working at the Vatican, specifically the Congregation for Consecrated Life.[25]
Among the key questions reviewed soon after the Council ended, were
considerations of the nature and effect of the
propositum
when it is agreed to and followed during the Rite with the Bishop’s prayer of
consecration over the virgin. Other questions placed before the Sacred
Congregation for Divine Worship began to draw comparisons between religious
with simple vows and consecrated virgins. Another was whether there were various
gradations of consecrated virginity and if this was the case which was the
highest stage. These thoughts were
perhaps generated by the centuries old model of gradations of religious vows
such as temporary or permanent, simple or solemn, public or private. It was not
easy to go from understanding the very familiar religious vows and/or
evangelical counsel vows to a comprehension of the less familiar, very rare
consecration of a virgin through her holy resolution to virginity made public.
Also unique to the Rite for consecrating a virgin is the Bishop’s calling of
the Holy Spirit over her within the Eucharistic celebration. In response to the
question of “stages of consecration” the Dicastery
asserted “There are no gradations” or stages,
By 1970, the Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship,[26]
representing the committees studying the indissoluble nature of the Rite of
Consecrated Virginity published on this matter. Regarding the Consecration
Rite’s inclusion of the sacred propositium,
the committees concluded, “It is in itself irrevocable and entails a permanent
self-giving for it demands a precondition, a persistent and constant spirit, an
upright life, wise, prudent, mature option, and ecclesial service.”[27] More importantly wording in the Rite itself,
including the prepared homily offered in the Pontifical which may be given by
the bishop and specifically refers to this Rite as a covenant that lasts
forever. The Latin words of the Rite are literally translated as an
indissoluble bond. They speak of the call to the vocation of lifelong virginity
for the sake of the Kingdom of God as a call directly from God. It reflects the call of the Virgin Mary and
of the Church as the Bride of Christ.
On the theology of the virgin’s propositum, Sister Sharon Holland has
provided insights based on her many years of experience as a canon lawyer
working at the Vatican, specifically the Congregation for Consecrated Life.[28]
Among the key questions reviewed soon after the Council ended, were
considerations of the nature and effect of the
propositum
when it is agreed to and followed during the Rite with the Bishop’s prayer of
consecration over the virgin. Other questions placed before the Sacred
Congregation for Divine Worship began to draw comparisons between religious
with simple vows and consecrated virgins. Another was whether there were
various gradations of consecrated virginity and if this was the case which was
the highest stage. These thoughts were
perhaps generated by the centuries old model of gradations of religious vows
such as temporary or permanent, simple or solemn, public or private. It was not
easy to go from understanding the very familiar religious vows and/or
evangelical counsel vows to a comprehension of the less familiar, very rare consecration
of a virgin through her holy resolution to virginity made public. Also unique
to the Rite for consecrating a virgin is the Bishop’s calling of the Holy
Spirit over her within the Eucharistic celebration. In response to the question
of “stages of consecration” the Dicastery
asserted “There are no gradations of consecration of a virgin, as there are in
rites of varying degrees of religious profession.”[29]
From
this flowed another consideration.
Whether or not a vow was necessary for the virgin’s consecration or if
not, some other form of commitment, such as a promise. If the vow was not
necessary then would it be accepted by the Church? Again, the response was that a vow in the
sense used in religious profession is not necessary with the giving of this
ancient Rite. At the same time it is
indispensable that the virgin have the
intention of offering herself to God, body and soul, in a total and perpetual way, and that this
be accepted by the Church.[30] For the Rite for the Consecration of Virgins,
this response is evidenced by the two part concurrent essential elements of
both (1) the renewal of the propositum by the virgin, and (2) the public
liturgically approved prayer of consecration
over her by the local ordinary, her bishop.
The
question then arises, since a virgin consecrated according to the ecclesial
approved Rite does not make a vow or vows, can she be dispensed just as a
religious who professes vows can be.
There are canonical guidelines on dispensations for religious. There are no canons for the consecrated
virgin in the present 1983 Code of Canon Law nor the 1990 Code for the Eastern
Church that allow for a dispensation of “vows” or any dispensation of anything
for a consecrated virgin. Can something
be dispensed if it does not exist? If
there are no religious vows professed then there is nothing to dispense! A woman who professes religious vows becomes
a sacramental, a sacred person. This is
done by the public profession of vows themselves. If the vows are dispensed she is no longer a
sacramental, though she always retains her dignity as a graced person through
her baptism. The consecrated virgin
however is made a sacramental in a different way. She is made so by her sacra propositium given during the approved public liturgical form
of her Bishop’s calling of the Holy Spirit upon her and then praying the solemn
ancient prayer of consecration of her virginity over her. This consecration of a virgin is reserved
only to bishops and not presbyters or deacons.
It is on the same level as the limitation of priestly ordination and the
dedication of a church by the local bishop. It the solemn prayer of
consecration by the Bishop during the Rite that makes the virgin’s sacred
intent, her sacra propositum, to
lifelong virginity indissoluble.
St.
Thomas Aquinas teaches that every consecration is perpetual.[31]
No one can “unconsecrate” a person who has been consecrated, although one might
be dispensed from the obligations, but not the consecration itself. The consecrated virgin participating in this
approved ancient rite is explicitly in a nuptial bond with Jesus Christ. She is
the public transcendent sign of Christ’s love for His Bride, the Church. St. Basil of Caesarea wrote extensively on
the subject of consecrated virgins. He
compares a “fallen” virgin to one who has committed adultery against the Lord.
“Now they see the bride of the Lord herself, whose head is Christ, boldly
committing adultery.
So too would groan the companies of the Saints.”[32]
Nevertheless,
because of human frailty, there have been situations wherein a virgin
consecrated according to the Rite might wish to be relieved of the obligations
of her Consecration or may have deliberately violated her obligation to
perpetual virginity and service to the Gospel or fidelity to the teachings of
the Church. There might also be a
situation where a virgin’s consecration may be declared invalid. It is
important to note that invalidity is not the same as dispensation. Such a decision to relieve her of the duties
of her consecration can only be made at the episcopal level and preferably in
consultation with other bishops and/or the Roman Curia including the Supreme
Tribunal and the Congregation for Consecrated Life. If she seeks to be relieved from her duties
as a consecrated virgin, duties which include remaining virginal, prayer life, service to the Church, fidelity
to the teaching of the Church, on an individual basis she may be relieved of
some of these obligations. If after careful review by appropriate episcopal
authority, her Consecration is found to have been defective this might be based
on a number of factors. One of these may be that she was not a virgin or had
lived in a public open violation of chastity and this fact was unknown to her
consecrating bishop. Therefore she could not give the virginity that she does
not have and her situation is not congruent with either the Roman Pontifical
rubrics or Canon 604. There would be an exception to this that bears repeating.
If a woman has been violated against her will and lost her physical virginity
such as in cases of child abuse or rape, she has not lost her virginity
spiritually. This is a matter that
requires sensitive inquiry by her bishop and/or confessor and each case of such
violence against such a woman must be judged independently, prudently and
confidentially by the competent hierarchical episcopal authority.
Another
circumstance might have been there was significantly inadequate preparation to
understand the Rite prior to receiving it, such that cognitively the woman did
not comprehend the seriousness and permanent character of the Rite. An informed conscience is necessary to make a
free will act. The reception of this Rite at the hands of the bishop must
always be voluntary and requires sufficient cognition of the Rite to be
received and free will. If these
elements were not present her consecration according to this Rite could be
determined invalid. If her consecration is found to be invalid, she may be
relieved of some of her duties such as any pastoral service she may be
rendering, celebrating frequent daily mass or the Liturgy of the Hours. She may be asked to cease referring to
herself as a consecrated virgin of the Ordo
Virginum Consecratium. However her freedom to marry may or may not be given
since she is already indissolubly married to Christ if her consecration was
valid. She likely could receive permission to marry if her consecration is
found to be invalid. Always, Christians are never dissolved of their primary
baptismal consecration.
With the Vatican Committees intense study
of the renewal of the Rite of Virgins living in the World, in In addition to
the inclusion of the renewal of the rite of consecration of virginity for a woman
living in the world Pope Paul VI also had the privilege of promulgating the
Revised Rite in 1970 on May 31, 1970. It
was a Sunday. Next year, in Rome the 50th
anniversary of this event will take place with a Convocation of Consecrated
Virgins on Sunday, May 31, 2020. IN 2020
May 31 will also be the Feast of Pentecost. The Sanctifying work of the Holy
Spirit is a reality! The Congregation
for Divine Worship then published the decree with implementation by 1971. The vernacular version by episcopal conferences
would be sent to them for final confirmation.[33] If anyone should be named the patron saint
of Consecrated Virgins Living in the World, it should be Paul VI!
4. St. Pope John Paul II:
St. Pope John
Paul II would provide the Order of Virgins with a clear description and
canonical foundation through his implementation of Canon 604 of the 1983 Code
of Canon Law. After Vatican II it was necessary that the Code of Canon Law
would be updated in compliance with the work of Vatican II. These changes were very important for the
Ordo Virginum. While the ancient Tradition of the Ordo Virginum in the
Church, had diminished and almost and almost forgotten by the 20th
century, the revision of the Code of Canon law was critically needed. There did exist primitive rules or canons
regarding consecrated virgins as early as the 4th Pope, St. Clement I, on or
about 95 AD, in his Apostolic Constitutions.
At that time there was not yet a compilation of canons or even
liturgical forms (Sacramentaries and Roman Missals as we know them today) for
the universal church. 12th
century John Gratian’s Concordantia
Discordantium Canonium [34] (c. 1140) was the first serious attempt to organize
the rules or canons of the Church.
Canon law itself was not a theological discipline until the 12th
century. In 1234 when Pope Gregory IX promulgated the canons listed in
Gratian’s Decree with additional canons and decrees. Centuries passed and there was still no
additional collection of canons for the universal church until the 1917 Code
It
was not until the 1983 Code of Canon Law, that Canon 604 for consecrated
virgins living in the world, was definitively described and inserted in the
Code to be in compliance with the theology of the Vatican II documents. There
was a great concerted effort, under the guidance of Pope Paul VI and then his
successor, Pope St. John Paul II, to bring
the Code of Canon Law into compliance with the theology of Vatican II.
The revised Code of Canon Law was
promulgated by St. John Paul II in 1983.[35]
In 1983
and even today, there are clergy, members of religious institutes, and laity
who do not know or believe that the woman who has received the Rite of Virgins
from her bishop, is indeed in the Church’s public state of consecrated life.
This would begin to dispel the widespread myth that Consecrated Virgins are not
in the state of consecrated life... Canonically this means she is neither
clerical nor lay but is in this state of consecrated life. In the Vatican II
dogmatic Constitution, Lumen Gentium
on the nature of the Church Chapter VI is written exclusively for religious
sisters who are members of approved Religious Institutes. It says nothing about consecrated virgins or
those hermits who are not also religious but whose vows have been received by their
bishops. It says nothing either about certain secular institutes. There is an important point in #45, the
last paragraph of this Chapter 6.
In these words, “the
Church not only raises religious
profession to the dignity of a canonical state by her approval, but even
manifests that this profession is a state consecrated by the liturgical setting
of that profession. The Church accepts the vows of the newly professed. It begs
aid and grace from God for them by its public prayer. It commends them to God, imparts a spiritual blessing
on them and accompanies their self-offering by the Eucharistic sacrifice.”
But what about us? The consecrated virgins as well as the
hermits and secular institute members. Omitting these forms of consecrated life
wasn’t don’t deliberately by the Council Father Bishops. Very few bishops even knew about an ancient
Rite for consecration of a virgin!
These omissions are some of the challenges St. Pope Paul VI and St. John
Paul II and the Vatican worked hard to resolve.
First, St.
John Paul II developed a deeper understanding of the meaning of “public
state of consecrated life.”
Before
proceeding to the historical basis and the current renewal of the ancient Rite of Virgins Living in the World, it
is useful to define the meaning of a “consecrated virgin living in the world”
as it is being taught today by the Church. There are several sources from the Magisterium[36]
of the Catholic Church explaining the ancient Order of Consecrated Virgins Living in the World beginning with
Vatican II’s Constitution on the Liturgy,
not in Lumen Gentium. It is the
Magisterium alone who has the authority to teach theology and with it approved
liturgical and canonical decisions]. These include the 1983 Code of Canon
Law, the Roman Pontifical or Missal, encyclicals or letters from the Popes,
pronouncements from the Sacred Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated
Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,[37]
and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.[38] The Magisterium clarifies the commonalities
and differences in the states of religious life and the state of consecrated
virginity through canon law, its liturgical rites, in particular the Roman
Pontifical, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and various guidelines and
exhortations from the Vatican.
The Order of Virgins and the members of Religious Institutes are both
forms of public consecrated life in the Church but they are not the same.
Beginning with church law, the 1983 Code of Canon Law[39]
applies to Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
There are many canons (573-746) with applications to religious life and/or
Societies of Apostolic Life. Within them there currently only one specific to the Consecrated Virgin living
in the world. It is:
c.
604: §1: Similar to these forms of consecrated life is
the order of virgins who, expressing the holy resolution of following Christ
more closely, are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the
approved liturgical rite, are mystical betrothed to Christ the Son of God and
are dedicated to the service of the Church. §2: In order to observe their
own resolution more faithfully and to perform by mutual assistance service to
the Church in harmony with their proper state, virgins can be associated
together.[40]
There
is another less well known Canon for Bishops who are the valid canonical
ministers of Consecrations:
c.1169; §1: Those marked with the episcopal character by
law or legitimate grant can perform
consecrations and dedications validly §2.
Any presbyter (priest) can impart blessings except those reserved to the Roman
Pontiff or bishops §3. A
deacon can impart only those blessings expressly permitted by law.
Canon 1169 is referring to consecrations
and dedications that are like blessings but different because they are
sacramental of greater importance.[41] The term consecration is used in various ways
in canon law and in liturgy but here it refers to consecrations that are
sacramental. The Liturgical Rite of Virgins is a sacramental. This authority of a bishop to consecrate
virgins is not a new tradition of the Church but respects again the ancient
tradition established by the 4th Pope St. Clement I around 95 AD.
Pope Clement is mentioned in the canon of the mass. In his Apostolic Constitutions in developing
the standards for liturgical celebrations Pope Clement wrote:
876.
“Canon 3. Presbyters may not consecrate
chrism or bless virgins, nor may a presbyter grant public reconciliation.” [42]
This canon also gives ancient credence to
the bond that should exist between the virgin and her diocese. It was/is given
in the context of limiting the presbyter or priests’ functions as only a bishop
may bless chrism and by implication in the context, only the bishop can
consecrate the virgin. This tradition continues to the present day canon
wherein the bishop of the virgin’s domicile or residence, may consecrate
her. In special situations, a Diocesan
bishop may grant permission to consecrate a virgin to an auxiliary bishop of
the same diocese or to another bishop. We are aware of at least two virgins
both in mission territory, who were consecrated by a priest in the absence of a
bishop being available but this permission needed to be approved by the Vatican. One was in the Soviet Union and the other in
New Zealand.
What about Consecrated Virgins of the Eastern Rite
Churches in union with the Roman Holy See? The Eastern Rite Catholic Church
also recognizes consecrated virgins, widows, hermits as well in its 1990 Code
of Canon Law. However only the permission of the bishop, is needed, not his
presence as minister. The Eastern Code combines these three consecrated life
vocations in one canon as follows:
c.
570: “Particular Law can establish other kinds
of ascetics who imitate eremitical life, belonging or not to an institute of
consecrated life. Consecrated virgins
and widows who live on their own in the world, having publicly professed
chastity can also come under norms of particular law.[43]
In the case of hermits,
they may be men or women. They may or
may not be virgins. They may or may not be members of a religious
community. If they are not religious
they receive the eremitical rite (for a hermit) from the diocesan bishop and
are subject to his direction. Their rite
is not the same as the rites for religious profession or for consecrated
virgins. While the Eastern Rite Catholic Church Canon combines the virgins, and
even widows, and hermits in one canon, the Roman Rite Code of Canon Law has a
separate canon for hermits and none for consecrating widows.[44]
Note: In the Eastern Catholic Church Code there is not a comparable second
paragraph of c. 604 §2 in
the Roman Church Code to suggesting virgins may associate for mutual
assistance. C. 604 §2 provides
for voluntary mutual associations of consecrated virgins to assist one
another in the faithful striving to fulfill their vocation, assisting one
another and serving the Church. This is
not a directive to eventually form a religious institute or a secular institute
or other new forms of consecrated life that might involve in the Church.[45]
St. John Paul
II went further in teaching the universal Church that members of religious
institutes are not the only form of public consecrated life as was, and still
is a common belief among many clergy, religious and laity alike. He did this by creating the “umbrella” term
of Religious Life to Institutes of Consecrated Life. The Vatican Departments or Dicastaries or Congregations
had different responsibilities.
Prior to the
1983 Code of Canon Law there was a Congregation for Religious which now
longer exists under that name. Partially
to clarify that consecrated virgins are indeed defined as ecclesial consecrated
persons, John Paul II, in his Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus (28
June 1988) changed the title of the Sacred
Congregation for Religious Life to
the Sacred Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of
Apostolic Life. (CICLSAL). This is a long title and not easy to remember
but it is a way of broadening for all the wider range of forms of the public
state of consecrated life. This change
of title reflects the need to renew the perceptions about what Consecrated life
is after Vatican II. It bears
repeating, most believed consecrated life was only the state for clerics and
religious. This is not so and actually Vatican II did not change this but
now has a renewed clarification that there are other consecrated states
approved by the Church that are included in the definition of consecrated life.
This Congregation, CICLSAL, is
responsible for matters concerning
institutes of consecrated life (orders and religious congregations, both
men and of women, secular institutes, and societies of apostolic but also does
govern matters regarding the eremitical life,[46]
consecrated virgins and other new forms
of consecrated life that may arise in the Church today.[47]
Another major recognition for the Consecrated
Virgins was the implementation of international in the Vatican media. These are some of the deeply profound words
of St John Paul II to the virgins[48]. They bear meditation today and in future
moments of prayer:
"On my part, I would like to speak to
you with the same affectionate warmth with which bishops of old used to speak
to the virgins of their churches: for example, the
warmth of Methodius of Olympia, the first cantor of Christian virginity; that
of Athanasius of Alexandria and of Cyprian of Carthage, who considered
consecrated virgins an elect portion of Christ’s flock; that of John
Chrysostom, whose writings are rich in ideas to nourish the spiritual life of
virgins. Ambrose of Milan, whose works bear witness to an extraordinary
pastoral care for consecrated virgins; Augustine of Hippo, that keen, profound
theologian of virginity embraced for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Mt 19:12); the great,
holy Pontiff Leo I, with all probability the author of the admirable prayer of
consecration Deus castorum
corporum; and Leander of Seville who wrote a beautiful letter to
his sister Fiorentina on the occasion of her virginal consecration. This is an episcopal tradition to
which I willingly join myself."
"The mystery of the Incarnation was seen
by the Holy Fathers in a spousal light, following the interpretation given by
the Apostle Paul on the Lord’s death: “Christ loved the Church and gave Himself
up for her”...The entire life of Christ was therefore placed under the sign of
the mystery of His nuptials with the Church (cf.
Eph 5:32). You,
too, dear Sisters, belong to that mystery through the gift of the Holy Spirit
and in virtue of a 'new spiritual anointing' (cf. Pontificale Romanum, Ordo
consecrationis virginum, n. 16)
"According
to the teaching of the Fathers, in receiving from the Lord the “Consecration of
virginity,” virgins become a visible sign
of the virginity of the Church, the instrument of its
fruitfulness and witness of its fidelity to Christ.
Virgins are also a
reminder of the orientation of the Church towards the future goods and a
warning to keep this eschatological tension alive." "Your total
and exclusive love for Christ does not exempt you from love
towards all men and women, your brothers and sisters, for the horizons of your
charity—precisely because you belong to the Lord—are the same as the horizons
of Christ." "As St. Leander of
Seville observes, Mary
is also 'the culminating point and prototype of virginity.' In body and soul she was fully what
you desire to be with all your strength: virgins in body and soul, spouses
through total and exclusive adherence to
love of Christ, mothers through the gift of the Spirit. "
23 years later, in July 2018, Pope Francis working with
the CICSLA would focus on the words of St. John Paul II: "According to the teaching of the
Fathers, in receiving from the Lord the “Consecration of virginity,” virgins
become a visible sign of
the virginity of the Church, the instrument of its fruitfulness
and witness of its fidelity to Christ. The
Vatican named the Instruction Ecclesiae
Sponsae Imago or the Spousal Image of the Church. Consecrated Virgins are to strive to daily be
the spousal sign of the virginity of the Church itself. That is our primary
charism.
5. Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI
Pope
Benedict XVI has been and still is a brilliant theologian and teacher. He knew most Catholics are not able to study
liturgical books, Church history, and theology in general. A major contribution of his papacy was the
many years of promoting and participating in the production of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.[49]
Having been a Vatican II Father, he did not omit the inclusion of the vocation
of Virginity for the Kingdom and in imitation of Mary, Virgin and Mother. Under the papacy of St. John Paul II, and as
Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Faith, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, was
the primary “Editor in chief” of the Catechism, under the papacy. In 2005 Cardinal Ratzinger would become the
successor to St. John Paul II.
The following passages from the Catechism
deepen the understanding of the Ordo Virginum.
A.
the Church is aware the English translation of the word “Ordo” has been understandably, not clear semantically for many
people. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church provides additional clarity on the word “ordo” in its application to
consecrated virgins:
1537. "The word order
in Roman antiquity designated an established civil body, especially a governing
body. Ordinatio means incorporation into an ordo. In the Church
there are established bodies which Tradition, not without a basis in Sacred
Scripture, [Cf. Heb 5:6; Heb 7:11; Ps 110:4.] has since ancient times called taxeis
(Greek) or ordines. And so the liturgy speaks of the ordo episcoporum,
the ordo presbyterorum, the ordo diaconorum. Other groups also
receive this name of ordo: catechumens, virgins, spouses, widows…" [50]
B. All Christians
are called to practice the virtue of chastity.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches
the meaning of the terms virginity, chastity, and consecrated celibacy”:
2349.
"'People
should cultivate (chastity) in the way that is suited to their state of life.
Some profess virginity or
consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone with an
undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others live in the way prescribed for
all by the moral law, whether they are married or single.' Married people are
called to live conjugal chastity; others practice chastity in continence: There are three forms of the virtue of
chastity: the first is that of spouses, the second that of widows, and the
third that of virgins. We do not
praise any one of them to the exclusion of the others.... This is what makes
for the richness of the discipline of the Church. [St. Ambrose, De viduis 4, 23: PL 16, 255A.]"[51]
C. The Catechism
of the Catholic Church offers more on
Christian virginity: [52]
922.
"From
apostolic times Christian virgins, called by the Lord to cling only to him with
greater freedom of heart, body, and spirit, have decided with the Church's
approval to live in a state of
virginity 'for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. [Mt 19:12; cf. l Cor
7:34-36.]
923. 'Virgins who, committed to the holy plan of following Christ more
closely, are consecrated to God by the
diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite, are betrothed mystically to Christ,
the Son of God, and are dedicated to
the service of…a sacred person, a transcendent sign of the Church's love
for Christ, and an eschatological image of this heavenly Bride of Christ and
the life to come.
924. "'As with other forms
of consecrated life,' the order of virgins establishes the woman living
in the world (or the nun) in prayer, penance, service of her brethren, and
apostolic activity, according to the state of life and spiritual gifts given to
her. Consecrated virgins can
form themselves into associations to observe their commitment more
faithfully...."
D. The
Church also recognizes and appreciates the value of private vows which though
not a public witness of consecration, and which can be dispensed and are not
the ecclesial state of consecrated life. Yet for those with private vows, The
Catechism gives a valued reminder of the
value of virtue for the Kingdom and of of the faith-filled life journey of the
People of God towards the Kingdom of Heaven:
933. Whether their
witness is public, as in the religious state, or less public, or even secret,
Christ’s coming remains for all those consecrated both the origin and rising
sun of their life: (672, 769).
For the People of God have here no lasting city and this state reveals
more clearly to all believers the heavenly goods already present in this age,
witnessing to the new and eternal life which we have acquired through the
redemptive work of Christ, a prelude of our future resurrection and the glory
of the kingdom of heaven.[53]
Continuing a tradition established by St.
John Paul II, his predecessor, Pope Benedict also called an international
Congress for Consecrated Virgins to be held in Rome. His opening talk strongly advocates the
imitation of Mary, Mother of God, and handmaid of the Lord. He calls for our charism to be renewed in the
intense fervor of the virgins of the earliest days of the Church these are some
of the words he gave to the Virgins: [54]
“I
greet and welcome with joy each one of you, consecrated with the “solemn consecration as a bride of our Lord
Jesus Christ’ (Rite of Consecration to a life of virginity for women living in
the world” [RCV] n. 17),
on the occasion of the International Pilgrimage and Congress of the Ordo Virginum, for which you are
gathered in Rome during these days. Imitate
the Mother of God; desire to be called and to be handmaids of the Lord.” [RCV, n.16] The Order of Virgins is a
special expression of consecrated life that blossomed anew in the Church after
the Second Vatican Council (cf. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata, n. 7). Its roots,
however, are ancient; they date back to the dawn of apostolic times when, with
unheard of daring, certain women began to open their hearts to the desire for
consecrated virginity, in other words, to
the desire to give the whole of their being to God, which had had its first
extraordinary fulfillment in the Virgin of Nazareth and her “yes”. In the
thought of the Fathers, Mary was the prototype of Christian virgins and their
perception highlighted the newness of this new state of life, to which a free
choice of love gave access. “
“They have chosen You
[Lord] above all things; may they find all things in possessing You”. (cf.
RCV, n. 24). Your charism must
reflect the intensity but also the freshness of its origins. It is founded on
the simple Gospel invitation: “He who is able to receive this, let him receive
it” (Mt. 19:12), and on St. Paul’s recommendations of virginity for the Kingdom
(I Cor 7:25-35). Yet the whole of the Christian mystery shines out in it.
Pope Benedict is very explicit that “it is the Bishop’s task to
recognize the charism of virginity in us.
He defines also our charism as mothers, mothers of the children of God
and though with lofty ideals, no special external change but each consecrated
woman usually remains in her own life situation.
When your charism came into being, it did not take shape
in accordance with specific ways of life. Rather, it was institutionalized
little by little until it became a true and proper solemn, public consecration,
conferred by the Bishop in an evocative liturgical rite which made the
consecrated woman the spoons Christi,
an image of the Church as Bride. Dearest
friends, your vocation is deeply rooted in the particular Church to which you
belong; it is your Bishops’ task to recognize the charism of virginity in you,
to consecrate you and, possibly, to encourage you on your way, in order to teach you the fear of the Lord, as
they commit themselves to do during the solemn liturgy of consecration. May
you open yourselves in your dialogue with God to a dialogue with all creatures,
for whom you will find you are mothers,
mothers of the children of God. (cf. RCV,
n. 28). However, your ideal, truly lofty in itself, demands no special external
change. Each consecrated woman normally remains in her own life context. It is
a way that seems to lack the specific characteristics of religious life, and
above all that of obedience.
Pope Benedict concluded his talk with the
virgins by entrusting all of us to Mary. Benedict’s
advice is too long to include here but has been published in full. It is well
worth referencing and meditating upon. He
concluded his talk with the virgins by entrusting all of us to Mary.
6. Pope Francis I
As Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos
Aires Argentina[55] provided a homily on the occasion of a the archdiocesan celebration
of consecrated men and women on 8 September 1999 Birthday of the Blessed Mother
Though his presentation was directed at all of the consecrated persons present,
he does use the word consecrated twice stating to be inclusive using the terms,
“the consecrated religious” and the “consecrated.” These are some of his guiding words from that
occasion. As with the writings and talks
of the earlier popes, there is a strong request to focus on Mary as the model
for consecrated life. Mary is the symbol
of the Church and the Mother of the Church.
These are some of his words:
…And
the Church presents the figure of the mother, who is going to give birth to us
who came today…the Gospel speaks to us of motherhood. How was conceived Jesus?
The Church consecrated and crowned today raises for us a question which also invites
the fruitfulness of the Church.
The Church
must be mother" and is Mary. Mary
is a figure of the Church, the Church as a figure of Mary…that is we must be
more intimate with Mary. Mary, the Church and the soul. We talk about ecclesial
fertility. We must in this House look to Mary, the Church. We must ask how our fertility how dedicated
and consecrated. Our fertility here in Buenos Aires where obedience commanded
us to work, (he means where we find ourselves) We need to assume the challenge
of being mothers and fathers, not single women or qualified Bachelors. Consecrated
life consecrated only makes sense in the light of fertility, according to the
style of the family devoted to which one belongs; but without fertility we are
a only prisoners more or less pious, hard-working people with
religious culture perhaps, but not consecrated.
Consecration anoints us in
fertility, as the mother of the Lord was fruitful, in her salvation and as the
Church is fruitful. Fertility implies that our generosity must deepen further and
continually to give life to others… it makes sense to the extent that you can
give your consecration and make grow in light to others. It is this light of t
that Church has us looking toward the Virgin…the light is our Mother Church.
Consecrated life will always be
tempted to, makeup things to do, too much in the work itself, taken up in the
little things. That's when the consecrated life loses meaning. We will be good people with no but no children….but
a fertile consecrated life fertile, is a hopeful consecrated life, believing
that it passes through the depth the Holy Spirit, the strength of the Spirit
which gives life to others. A fruitful consecrated life is a consecrated life
that looks beyond the doors of her home or her convent, she has broader
horizons and arises continually to seek the Lord through the things that are
happening in every day. Life is asking the Lord through the thousand and one
daily events, in the intimacy of prayer and sharing of community life. What
Jesus asks me today is to give life…is to go beyond our noses!
This is the mission that the consecrated
and the consecrated women have in the Church, to reflect the fertility of the
Mother Church, reflect our own fertility as the fertility of Mother Mary. We
must reflect the hope of the Church, reflect the apostolic courage to the
Church, which is not confined to cults of ourselves, doing our thing…we have to
look for them and plan them, but in with the light of Hope and aim for
Apostolic boldness which implies that fertility.
Do not believe that we are
serving the church if we have cute apostolic plans but single men and single
women. Today we contemplate "what must be mother”. We call upon her for the
grace of a fruitful immersion in the Church to be generous, fertile; and the
light with be grace to the many we touch at any moment... Fraternally, Card. Jorge Mario Bergoglio
SJ
Five
years later Cardinal Bergolio would be elected Pope Francis I. The major contribution he has made
specifically for the Consecrated virgins is to entrust the Congregation for
Consecrated Life (CICLSAL) with establishing instructive guidelines for the Bishops
and the Consecrated Virgins of the Ordo Virginum. Ecclesiae Sponsae Virginum was several years
in its development and was announced on July 4, 2018. More will be shared about this papal
Instruction later today.
As St.
John Paul II and Pope Benedict before him, Pope Francis also encourages the
consecrated virgins to support one another through mutual sharing in a Rome
gathering. He has authorized the
convocation of the Ordo Virginum Members next May, 29-th to 31st.
This
history is a brief summation of the many hours and events given in exploring
the theology and practical implementation of consecrated virgins living in the
world. The footnotes have been included
for those who would like to learn more.
However the next major question is:
Who is living and writing
the ongoing 20 centuries of history of Consecrated
Virgins Living in the World.
YOU
ARE!!! Those who are consecrated and
those who are discerning as well as the Bishops who given the Rite of Virgins
to us. Our Lady Virgin Mother Mary gave us the way. The
Church through its scriptures, Tradition, and hierarchy and many saints have
asked us to look to her as the key to travel with as we journey through
life. You who are bishops (or bishops to
be), you who are consecrated virgins or consecrated virgins to be, it is you
whom the Church needs to write a magnificent history in praise of the Trinity.
I
would like to close with one who writes and presents far greater than I
can. These are the closing words of Pope
Benedict at the end of the last Convocation of Virgins in Rome. Please close
your eyes and pray his loving words with me. Imagine you are in his presence in
Rome with the throng of consecrated virgins as he speaks to us.
May
you be present in the world, yet pilgrims bound for the Kingdom. Indeed, the
consecrated virgin is identified with that bride who, in unison with the
Spirit, invokes the coming of the Lord: “The
Spirit and the Bride say: ‘Come’” (Rv 22:17). As I take my leave of you, I entrust you to Mary; and I make my own
the words of St. Ambrose who sang the praises of Christian virginity,
addressing them to you:
“May there be in each one of you the soul
of Mary to magnify the Lord; may there be in each one you the Spirit of Mary to
exult in God. If there is only one Mother of Christ according to the flesh,
Christ on the other hand, according to the faith, is the fruit of all, since
every soul receives the Word of God so that, immaculate and immune to vice, she
may preserve her chastity with irreproachable modesty” (Comment on St. Luke 2, 26: PI.15, 1642).
With this heartfelt wish, I bless you.
St. Pope Paul VI, pray for
us.
Sancta Papa Paolo VI, ruega
por nosotros
©
A portion of this material is copyrighted in the Library of Congress, USA. The reader may not sell any portion without
the permission of the author, Jewel Brennan, Ph.D., D.Min. It may be used for purposes of formative
instruction or meditation. For
permissions please contact dr.jewelbrennan@verizon.net.
[1] Sacrosanctum Concilium, 80. 1964. in Vatican II, in Douglas G. Bushman,
gen. ed. Marianne L. Trouve, the Six- teen
Documents of Vatican II. (Boston, MA: Pauline, 1999).
[2] Latin,
translated as Ordo or Order of Consecrated Virgins
[3] Fiat voluntas tua - Latin: Thy will be done.
[4] Propositium, Latin: intention to “set
forth” something. In this context, the
holy resolution to live virginally. The propositium
is required of the candidate for consecrated virginity but it is not the
consecration itself. The consecration
takes place during the public liturgical prayer of Consecration by the diocesan
bishop who calls the Holy Spirit on the virgin, extending his hands while he
prays over her.
[5] Ignace de
la Potterie, Mary in the Mystery of the
Covenant, Trans Bertrand Buby (New York: Alba House, 1992), 7.
[6] Nichola
Emsley, OSB in Anscar J. Chupungco, Ed. Handbook
for Liturgical Studies. MN: Liturgical Press, p. 333.
[7] Nichola
Emsley, OSB in Anscar J. Chupungco, Ed. Handbook
for Liturgical Studies. MN: Liturgical Press, p. 332.
[8] Stephen M.
DiGiovanni, SJ. Ignatius: The Life of
Ignatius Cardinal Kung Pin-Mei. USA: DBA Amazon Publishing Companies. 2013. P. 1.
[9] Soul
Magazine, An Interview: Cardinal Ignatius Kung of Shanghai- the
Persecution Continues in China, July-August 1993, p. 19.
[10]
Jacqueline Roux, Trans. Loretta Matulich. Summary of Anne LaFlaive: One Life
for the Reawakening of a Forgotten Vocation. Anne Laflaive: Une vie pour la
renaissance d’une vocation oubliée Francois-Xavier de Guibert, 3, rue Jean-Francois-Gerbillon, 75006 Paris. 2004. ISBN:
286839-810-3.
[11] Ibid.
Roux. P.4.
[12] Ibid. Roux. P.8.
[13] Anne LaFlaive, La Femme ET
l’Eglise; Out of print, Source. L. Matulich
[14] Ibid. Roux. P.8.
[16] Ibid. Roux. P. 9.
[17] Vatican
II. Sacrosanctum
Concilium, Bushman, Sixteen Documents
of Vatican II.
[18] Op. Cit.
Kruc. p. 24.
[19] Giovanni Battista Montini, Meditazione,
ed. Ada Cignitto, Anna Maria Lanciotti, Maria Rosaria Proietti. Rome: Edizioni Liturgiche, 1983 in Kruc, p. 25.
[20] Josef A. Jungma John P. Beal, James A. Corriden & Thomas
J. Green, Eds. New Commentary on Canon Law. Commissioned by
the Canon Law Society of America. New
York/New Jersey: Paulist, 2000.nn, “Constitution on the
Liturgy” in commentary on the Documents of Vatican II, Ed. Herbert Vorgrimler.
New York: Herder & Herder, 1967. P. 55 in Kruc. P. 29.
[21]
Floyd Anderson, Ed. Council Daybook
Vatican II: Vol. 3, Washington DC: National Catholic Welfare Conference
1965, 2005. p. 363.
[22] Floyd Anderson, Ibid. pp. 364-365.
[23] A.
Bugnini. In L’Osservatore Romano,
Statements on the Order of Virgins. Vatican City: 9-27-70.
[24] Thomas
Aquinas, Summa Theologica, IIIa, Par.
Q83, art. III (On Consecration).
[25] Sister
Sharon Holland
is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe,
Michigan. A canon lawyer with degrees from the Gregorian
University, she served for 21 years at the Congregation for Institutes of
Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and was one of the
highest-ranking women in the Vatican.
[26] A.
Bugnini. In L’Osservatore Romano,
Statements on the Order of Virgins. Vatican City: 9-27-70.
[27] Thomas
Aquinas, Summa Theologica, IIIa, Par.
Q83, art. III (On Consecration).
[28] Sister
Sharon Holland
is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe,
Michigan. A canon lawyer with degrees from the Gregorian
University, she served for 21 years at the Congregation for Institutes of
Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and was one of the
highest-ranking women in the Vatican.
[29] CLD 7.
42 1-425. See also AAS, 62 (1970) 659; CpR 51 (1970) 373-375; Notitiae
6 (1970) 3 14-3 16. Except in the case of AAS, which
published only the Decree, the “Norms” or Introduction to the Rite, Notitiae 7,
1971, 108-109, in Op.Cit. Holland. p.
12.
[30] Op.Cit. Notitae 7 (1971), p. 109.
[31] Thomas
Aquinas, Summa Theologica, IIIa Par.
Q.83, Art. III.
[32] St. Basil
of Caesarea. To a Fallen Virgin, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second
Series, Vol. 8. Eds. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Trans. Blomfield Jackson New York: Buffalo:
Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895. Revised and edited for New Advent by
Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3202046.htm>.
[33] Pontificale Romanum ex
decreto Sacrosancti Concilii Oecumeniciii II instaruatum auctoritate Pauli
PP. VI promulgatum: Rome: Typis
Polyglottis Vaticanis, May 31, 1970.
[34] A Harmony of Discordant Canons also
known as Gratian’s Decree was a
scholarly compilation of existing canons but it was not a papal decree.
[35] Sacra Disciplinae Legis, Promulgation of
the 1983 Code of Canon Law, John Paul II, January 25, 1983.
[36] Magisterium
– from the Latin: Teacher, the official teaching authority of the Roman
Catholic Church.
[37] By the
Constitution Regimen Ecclesiae Universae (15 August, 1967) of Paul VI,
the Congregation for Religious was named the Congregation for Religious and
for Secular Institutes. The Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus (28
June 1988) of John Paul II changed the title to the Congregation for
Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
[38] Catechism of the Catholic Church
[39] Op. cit. Beal, Corriden & Green, Eds. C.
605.
[40] Op. cit. Beal, Corriden & Green, Eds. C.
606.
[41] SCDW, Rite of Consecration
to a Life of Virginity, may 31, DOL 3253:
[42]
Lawrence J. Johnson. Worship in the Early
Church, an Anthology of Historical Sources. Minnesota: Liturgical Press,
2009. P.5.
[43] Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium,
Auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP.II. (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches,
Latin-English Edition, Trans. Canon Law Society of America). Promulgated Joan Paul II, 1990. Washington,
DC. Canon Law Society of America. 1992, C.570.
[44] It is
noted that the Vatican II Fathers did not restore the Rite of Consecration of
Widows but interest in restoration of this consecrated life form continues to
be encouraged for future consideration.
[45] Ibid.
Caparros, Theriault, & Thorn. p. 424.
[46] The eremitical consecrated life should not be
confused with the Rite of Consecrated Virginity. Hermits may be religious is they are already
members of such communities or they may be diocesan, not a religious but under
the consecration and jurisdiction of their diocesan bishop as determined in
Canon 605. There is a separate rite of consecration for hermits.
[47] Op. Cit. Beal, Corriden & Green, Eds.,
Pp.768-769.
[47] Ibid.
768-769. C.604.Op. Cit. Canon 606.
[48] John
Paul II To the Order of Virgins. Reprinted
in English
Weekly Edition of “ L’Osservatore Romano” N. 22 May 28, 2008
[49] Interdicaserial Commission for the Catechism of the Catholic
Church, Imprimi Potest, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, English translation for the
USA, 1994, Liberia Editrice Vaticana with modifications.
[50] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1537.
[51] Catechism
of the Catholic Church. 2349.
[52] Catechism
of the Catholic Church. 922, 23, 924.
[53] Op. Cit, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 933.
[54] Benedict
XVI. To the Order of Virgins. From English Weekly Edition of “ L’Osservatore Romano” N.
22 May 28, 2008
[55] Personal
Communication Courtesy of Ordo Virginum
de Argentina: Archdiocese of Buenos Aires Archive Researchers: Laura
DiMatteo, Mafe Pizzerno, and Gloria Gana.
3/26/14.
