The phenomenon of the conciliar reform of the rites of the consecration of virgins

Abstract

It is little known that there is a consecration of secular women in the Church, that is a special liturgical ceremony or rite, during which the woman promises that she will live in eternal purity for the Kingdom of God. The Church's intention is to make this ceremony primarily for women who are not associated in any institutions or communities, and who live individually and lead a secular lifestyle. The condition to admit the woman to this ceremony by the bishop is that the woman did not marry or not live in a state opposite to chastity. The whole novelty of current ceremonies is expressed in the admission to the consecration of secular virgins who remain in the secular world and carry out their professional and social work. Eight centuries after the dropping of the practice of the consecration of secular virgins, the Church, guided by the spirit of the times, returns to its old tradition and restores the rite of consecration to “their original owners”, that is secular women. Renewed ceremonies of consecration can be seen as a special expression of respect for a woman whose dignity is sometimes offended by a society dominated by myths of hedonism and consumption. The author deals with the diocesan identity and character of the class or status of virgins as being typical for this form of consecrated life. In addition, he raises issues related to the conditions of admitting the women to consecration, the theological assumptions of the rite and the form of its celebration.