Answers to Common Questions About Consecrated Virginity 

In simplest terms, Consecrated Virginity is one of the public vocations available to women in the Catholic Church. Canon 604 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which builds upon the 1970 Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity, describes the order of virgins as a form of consecrated life where women, through their pledge to follow Christ more closely, are consecrated to God, mystically espoused to Christ, and dedicated to the service of the Church by the diocesan bishop.

For more information, please see the page “What is Consecrated Virginity?”

As of 2018, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life estimates there are now more than 5,000 consecrated virgins around the world.  

As of October 2024, Judith Stegman, president of the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins (USACV) and a canon lawyer, states there are 307 consecrated virgins in the United States. 

The 1970 Prænotanda to the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity states the following requirement for women living in the world to receive the consecration: “that they have never married or lived in open violation of chastity” (Praenotanda to the Rite of Consecration 5). 

Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago also states the following in paragraph 88:

In vocational guidance and when there is need to describe the characteristics of this vocation and the requirements for admission to consecration, the condition of virginity will be presented starting with the rich symbolism of its biblical foundations, within the framework of an anthropological vision solidly based on Christian revelation. On this basis the different dimensions, physical, psychological and spiritual, are integrated and considered in their dynamic connection to the lived history of the person and in openness to the unceasing action of divine grace that directs, guides and invigorates her on the path of holiness.

As a treasure of inestimable value that God pours into clay vessels (cf. 2 Cor 4:7), this vocation is truly an undeserved gift. It encounters the person in her actual humanity, always in need of redemption and yearning for the full meaning of her existence. It finds its origin and dynamic centre in the grace of God, who unceasingly acts with the tenderness and the strength of his merciful love in the often complex and sometimes contradictory events of human life, helping the person to grasp her uniqueness and the unity of her being, enabling her to make a total gift of self. In this context it should be kept in mind that the call to give witness to the Church’s virginal, spousal and fruitful love for Christ is not reducible to the symbol of physical integrity. Thus to have kept her body in perfect continence or to have practised the virtue of chastity in an exemplary way, while of great importance with regard to the discernment, are not essential prerequisites in the absence of which admittance to consecration is not possible.

The discernment therefore requires good judgement and insight, and it must be carried out individually. Each aspirant and candidate is called to examine her own vocation with regard to her own personal history, in honesty and authenticity before God, and with the help of spiritual accompaniment.

Below is a list of some more well-known canonized saints that are recognized as consecrated virgins in the Catholic Church. Note that the Church honors other canonized saints in their virginity with the term “virgin” as well, but not all of them necessarily lived the vocation of consecrated virginity lived in the world (e.g., St. Teresa of Avila or St. Clare of Assisi). Those saints are not included in this list.

St. Mary, Virgin of Virgins (1st century BC to 1st century AD) – Mother of Jesus, honored as the first and most exalted of consecrated virgins.


St. Thecla of Iconium (1st century) – Follower of St. Paul, she defied social norms to live as a virgin and is honored as a proto-martyr among women.


St. Blandina of Lyon (d. 177) – Slave girl and virgin who endured brutal tortures and was martyred during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius.


St. Cecilia (c. 2nd–3rd century) – Patroness of music, known for her vow of virginity and martyrdom.


St. Apollonia of Alexandria (d. c. 249) – Elderly virgin martyred during an anti-Christian riot, remembered especially for having her teeth violently pulled out.


St. Agatha of Sicily (d. c. 251) – Endured torture and martyrdom after rejecting a Roman official’s advances.


St. Restituta of Carthage (d. c. 255) – North African virgin and martyr burned alive for her Christian faith during the Decian persecution.


St. Barbara of Heliopolis (3rd century) – Virgin martyr imprisoned and beheaded by her own father for embracing Christianity.


Sts. Justa and Rufina of Seville (c. 3rd century) – Young sisters and potters who refused to sell idols, leading to their martyrdom under Roman rule.


St. Margaret of Antioch (3rd–4th century) – Known for her steadfast faith and virginity despite persecution.


St. Anastasia of Sirmium (c. 280–c. 304) – Roman noblewoman and martyr known for aiding persecuted Christians during Diocletian’s reign.


St. Agnes of Rome (c. 291–c. 304) – Martyred at a young age for refusing marriage and preserving her consecrated virginity.


St. Lucy of Syracuse (d. c. 304) – Refused marriage to remain a virgin for Christ, martyred during the Diocletian persecution.


St. Philomena of Rome (d. c. 304) – Young virgin and martyr, venerated after her tomb was discovered in the Roman catacombs in the 19th century.


St. Catherine of Alexandria (c. 287–c. 305) – Highly educated virgin who debated pagan philosophers and was martyred for refusing to renounce Christ.


St. Dymphna of Ireland (c. 7th century) – Princess who fled her father’s incestuous intentions and was martyred in Belgium for her faith and purity.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680) – Native American convert to Christianity who embraced a life of virginity, prayer, and penance amid suffering and cultural opposition. (Note that while she did not receive the Rite of Consecration of Virgins, she vowed to remain a virgin.)

The 1970 Prænotanda to the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity states the following requirements for women living in the world to receive the consecration:

In the case of women living in the world it is required:   

a) That they have never married or lived in public or open violation of chastity;  

b) That by their age, prudence, and universally approved character they give assurance of perseverance in a life of chastity dedicated to the service of the Church and of their neighbor; 

c) That they be admitted to this consecration by the Diocesan Bishop who is Ordinary of the place. It is for the Diocesan Bishop to decide on the conditions under which women living in the world are to undertake a life of perpetual virginity (Praenotanda 5). 

There are more prerequisites and criteria for discernment as discussed in greater depth in Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago Part III: Vocational Discernment and Formation for the Ordo virginum.  

Please also refer to the page How to Become a Consecrated Virgin.

Yes, a consecrated virgin wears a ring placed on her finger by the bishop at the Rite of Consecration. The ring is one of the three “insignia” that the virgin receives. Ecclesia Sponsae Imago states: “except for special reasons, they wear the ring that is given to them during the rite of consecration as a sign of their spousal covenant with Christ the Lord” (ESI 38).

Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago instructs the following on a consecrated virgin’s attire:

Desirous of irradiating the dignity and beauty of their vocation with a relational style towards the people of their own time, their way of dressing follows the local customs, combining dignity and the expression of their own personality with the virtue of moderation, in accordance with the requirements of their social situation.

Except for special reasons, they wear the ring that is given to them during the rite of consecration as a sign of their spousal covenant with Christ the Lord.

In places where married Christian women do not customarily cover their head with a veil, normally consecrated virgins do not wear the veil that they may have received during the rite of consecration as an ordinary part of their clothing. They follow the guidelines of the diocesan Bishop or the Episcopal Conference, who can allow the use of the veil in liturgical celebrations, or in other situations where the use of this visible sign of total dedication to the service of Christ and the Church is considered appropriate, considering different contexts and developments in socio-cultural conditions (ESI 38).

The Order of Virgins is defined in the Code of Canon Law in article 604:

§1. Similar to these forms of consecrated life is the order of virgins, who, committed to the holy plan of following Christ more closely, are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite, are betrothed mystically to Christ, the Son of God, and are dedicated to the service of the Church.

Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago also briefly explains how the Order of virgins, also known in Latin as Ordo virginum, came to be:

Some passages in the New Testament and in the writings of the first Christian centuries show that this form of evangelical life appeared in a spontaneous way in the different regions where ecclesial communities developed. In the context of pagan society, it took its place among other forms of the ascetic life which were clear signs of the novelty of Christianity and of its capacity to respond to the deepest questions about the meaning of human existence. In a process similar to that which concerned the status of widows who chose continence « in honour of the flesh of the Lord », consecrated female virginity gradually assumed the characteristics of a state of life publicly recognised by the Church.

In the first three centuries, large numbers of consecrated virgins underwent martyrdom in order to remain faithful to the Lord. Among these were Agatha of Catania, Lucy of Syracuse, Agnes and Cecilia of Rome, Thecla of Iconium, Apollonia of Alexandria, Restituta of Carthage, and Justa and Rufina of Seville. From that time, right up to today the memory of the virgin martyrs has remained as a striking reminder of the total gift of self that virginal consecration demands.

In the women who embraced this vocation and responded to it with a decision to persevere in life-long virginity, the Fathers of the Church saw a reflection of the image of the Church as the Bride, totally dedicated to her Bridegroom: thus they refer to them as sponsae Christi (brides of Christ), Christo dicatae (dedicated to Christ), Christo maritatae (married to Christ), Deo nuptae (brides of God). In the living body of the Church, they comprised an institutionalized coetus (group), identified by the name of the Ordo virginum (Order of virgins) (ESI 2).

Yes, women from other Rites of the Catholic Church can and have become consecrated virgins. These situations may require the consultation of a canon lawyer.

No, consecrated virginity is considered neither a “single” vocation nor a “lay” vocation. Since the consecrated virgin is espoused to Jesus Christ as His bride, she is not single. Because the Church has come to an understanding that the three states of life vocations are the laity, ordained, and consecrated, consecrated virginity would be categorized as a consecrated vocation rather than a lay one.

Yes, consecrated virgins can request for the Blessed Sacrament to be reserved in their homes, granted that the Bishop allows permission and the necessary requirements indicated for doing so by canon law are met.