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One of the oldest sacramentals in the Church is Consecrated Virginity. This state in life was restored in the Church following Vatican II. It is still a relatively rare phenomenon in the Church for there are only 215 or so consecrated virgins in the United States.

Barb Swieciak is one of them. She became a consecrated virgin in 1984 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and as such has much wisdom to relay to those contemplating this step or those seeking to deepening their understanding of it. At the request of her bishop, Barb has prepared a new resource called Meditations on Mary for those discerning this vocation and for those who have embraced this relationship with the Lord. It is the first in a series of planned books.

Barb started with Mary because “that really is the essence of consecrated virgins living in the world, imitating the Mother of God in her life of holiness, in her purity of heart and intention, and in devoting herself totally to our Lord.” She opens the book with the Angelus, for the Incarnation, where the Word became flesh, is the beginning of the vocation of consecrated virginity.

The book is for anyone wishing to meditate on the mysteries of Jesus’ life, pondered in the heart of His Mother. It is written and designed, not to be read, but to be prayed over. If you want more information or wish to order the book, you can contact Barb at bswieciak@dioceseoflacrosse.com or fill out the PDF form. For more information on consecrated virginity, please visit www.

Consecrated virgins are like the unseen leaven in a bread, the activating agent that makes it rise. They were no distinctive garb, receive no pay from their diocese but through their works of mercy and penance, demonstrate to the world the fruitfulness that comes from their relationship with Jesus, their Spouse.

 

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For those of you who are not too familiar with the vocation of a Consecrated Virgin, there is an article from the Dallas Morning News that I stumbled across that does a great job of explaining this unique vocation in the Church.

“The church recognizes that vocations can take various forms,” says (then) Bishop Raymond L. Burke. “These women don’t have the call to be sisters. That’s a very distinct call to live in a community and to take up a particular (mission), or to devote oneself completely to contemplation and prayer.” According to the article, there are about 100 American Consecrated Virgins and about 1,000 worldwide. From the earliest days of the Church, men and women devoted their lives to Christ as hermits or Consecrated Virgins. With the advent of monasteries and convents, this way of life somewhat disappeared. Following Vatican II,  the Solemn Rite of the Consecration of Virgins for Women Living in the World was re-instituted. A Consecrated Virgin must be self-supporting but many serve the local parish or diocese in some capacity. They also live a devout life of prayer and wear a ring as a sign of their espousal to Jesus Christ. They live in full communion with the Church through their spiritual bond with their Bishop.

“The consecrated virgin does not wear habit or veil, nor use the title ‘Sister,’ nor write ‘OCV’ after her name. She witnesses subtly, but publicly and powerfully, by her virginal life given exclusively to Jesus Christ.” (From USACV website)

To read the very interesting journey one women traveled to this beautiful vocation, click here. For more information about Consecrated Virgins, go to  USACV website (United States Association of Consecrated Virgins).