Canadian consecrated virgins welcome Vatican directive

Rose Marie Fowler was in her 40s when she decided to live a life in the service of God, becoming what the Catholic Church calls a consecrated virgin.

It was a deeply personal decision reached after years of contemplation, she says.

Now 81, having kept her vow consistently, the Edmonton resident is welcoming a directive from the Vatican that states physical virginity is not a prerequisite to taking on the vocation.

“(The Pope) basically said that physical integrity is not the only thing to be considered, and I really thought it was well put by him,” said Fowler, calling the guidance from the Vatican a “wonderful instruction.”

In a document released this month, the Vatican said a woman who wishes to become a consecrated virgin does not need to have “kept her body in perfect continence,” indicating she does not need to physically be a virgin.

The consecration of a virgin is one of the oldest sacraments in the church. In order to become spouses of God and dedicate their lives to the church, Christian women who become consecrated virgins can’t have been married before.

Women go through “the rite of consecration,” which involves a mass and an expression of their intention to dedicate themselves to God. Unlike nuns, consecrated virgins do not wear special robes or live secluded from the secular world.

The Vatican’s directive has been criticized by some consecrated virgins.

The U.S. Association of Consecrated Virgins called the Vatican’s directive “deeply disappointing in its denial of integral virginity as the essential and natural foundation of the vocation to consecrated virginity.”

Fowler said she was disappointed by that reaction.

“It is not about whether you agree with it or not,” she said.