{"id":171974,"date":"2018-07-18T23:54:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-19T03:54:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=171974"},"modified":"2018-07-18T23:54:32","modified_gmt":"2018-07-19T03:54:32","slug":"canadian-consecrated-virgins-welcome-vatican-directive-on-their-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/07\/18\/canadian-consecrated-virgins-welcome-vatican-directive-on-their-order\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian consecrated virgins welcome Vatican directive on their order"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u201c(The<\/a>
\u201c(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,\u201d said Fowler, calling the guidance from the Vatican a \u201cwonderful instruction.\u201d (Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

It was a deeply personal decision reached after years of contemplation, she says.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201c(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,\u201d said Fowler, calling the guidance from the Vatican a \u201cwonderful instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a document released this month, the Vatican said a woman who wishes to become a consecrated virgin does not need to have \u201ckept her body in perfect continence,\u201d indicating she does not need to physically be a virgin.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Women go through \u201cthe rite of consecration,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

The Vatican’s directive has been criticized by some consecrated virgins.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Association of Consecrated Virgins called the Vatican’s directive \u201cdeeply disappointing in its denial of integral virginity as the essential and natural foundation of the vocation to consecrated virginity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fowler said she was disappointed by that reaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not about whether you agree with it or not,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is about respecting what the Pope had to say, and as far as I am concerned, it is a good interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary Bastedo, who said she has been a consecrated virgin for more than 20 years, also lauded the Vatican for its guidance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI welcome the clarification about physical virginity, because this vocation is not about purity, it’s about wholeheartedness,\u201d said the 67-year-old. \u201cThe intentionality is to live a life of virginity, that means it is a life that is given to the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bastedo said that years ago, she felt she had a calling to live a life of celibacy as a \u201cfruitful way of being given to God.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1989, her bishop spoke to her about the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity, she said. After praying and reflecting about it for a year, Bastedo said she eventually made a decision. In March 1990, she was consecrated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really is a joyful vocation,\u201d said Bastedo, who lives in Toronto where she said about 10 women are living as consecrated virgins.<\/p>\n

Bastedo said the document from the Vatican is an interpretation many like her have been waiting for.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not a change,\u201d said Bastedo. \u201cIt is a clarification.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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