In the Catholic Church, a consecrated virgin is a woman who has dedicated herself to virginity or perpetual chastity in the service of God. Though customarily a lay person as in the case of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a consecrated virgin may also be a religious sister. An example is Wendy Beckett, known as "Sister Wendy," of the order of Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who became a consecrated virgin in 1970. The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Allegory of chastity by Hans Memling. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... In religious organizations, the laity comprises all lay persons collectively. ... Kateri Tekakwitha (1656 – April 17, 1680), the daughter of a Mohawk warrior and a Christian Algonquin woman, was born in the Mohawk fortress of Ossernenon near present-day Auriesville, New York. ... For other uses, see Nun (disambiguation). ... Sister Wendy Beckett (born February 25, 1930) is a South African-born British nun who became an unlikely celebrity during the 1990s, presenting a series of acclaimed art history documentaries for the BBC. ... The Institute of Notre-Dame de Namur, commonly known as the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is a Roman Catholic order of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor. ...

The rite fell out of practice after the Middle Ages, but was restored by Pope Paul VI in 1970. A diocesan bishop consecrates the candidate by the solemn rite Consecratio Virginium. According to the Associated Press,^{[citation needed]} there are 200 such virgins living in the United States and 2,000 worldwide. This article cites very few or no references or sources. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      This article is about a title...

See Also

• Catherine of Siena
• Mary of Egypt
• Hermit
• New Monasticism

Saint Catherine of Siena (March 25, 1347 - April 29, 1380) was a Dominican Tertiary (lay affiliate) of the Dominican Order. ... Venerable[2] Mary of Egypt (ca. ... Onuphrius lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the late 4th century A hermit (from the Greek erēmos, signifying desert, uninhabited, hence desert-dweller) is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion and/or isolation from society. ... New Monasticism, or Neomonasticism, is a modern day iteration of a long tradition of Christian monasticism which has recently developed within certain communities associated with Protestant Evangelicalism. ...

External links

• The papal encyclical Sacra Virginitas, promulgated March 25, 1954 by Pope Pius XII
• Click2Houston story: Local Catholic Diocese Performs Consecrated Virgin Ritual: 150 Consecrated Virgins Live In U.S.and about 100 live in the UK
• Consecrated Virgins in the Catholic Church
• Catechism of the Catholic Church para. 922 "Consecrated Virgins and Widows"
• MSNBC Woman joins small club of consecrated virgins