It is important to understand that discernment for this vocation is not one-sided on the part of the woman. The role of the Diocesan Bishop is necessary to determine whether to admit a woman to formation and consecration. Because Bishops are successors of the apostles and are entrusted with the pastoral care of a particular Diocese, they pray, discern, and ultimately decide about the consecration of a virgin in their Diocese. If a woman believes she has a vocation to Consecrated Virginity but a Bishop does not, he has the authority to not admit her to the formation program or consecration (see ESI 50, 76, and 81).

To provide more systematized and defined instructions on this process in our modern age, Ecclesia Sponsae Imago was released in 2018. 

The process to become a consecrated virgin is one to which the Catholic Church has given careful prayer and consideration. 

Before exploring the steps to becoming a consecrated virgin, there are prerequisites and criteria for discernment to understand and evaluate in one’s own life.

In general, the steps to becoming a consecrated virgin are outlined below. This list is extensive but not exhaustive. If you find yourself in any of these steps, prayerfully consider with the Lord and a wise spiritual director when it is time to move on to the next step.  

Given that Consecrated Virginity is still relatively recently renewed, several Dioceses are still unfamiliar with the vocation and may not presently have the resources to assist a woman with formation. If this is the case in your Diocese, remember that the Lord will provide according to His Most Holy Will and you may need to exercise extra patience and humility in the process of familiarizing your Bishop, delegate, etc. on the vocation while they determine how to set up a formation program. But do not lose hope or become discouraged throughout a process that could take months or even years longer than anticipated - where there is His Will, there is a way.

Vocational discernment requires making decisions in freedom with the Lord.

These requirements are set in place to confirm that a woman is truly being called by the Lord to this vocation and that she is able to carry out the responsibilities of the vocation in her Diocese. Here are some of the requirements as mentioned in ESI:

  • Must be 18 years old to begin the preparatory period (ESI 82)
  • Must generally be 25 years old to be consecrated (ESI 82)
  • Respected in her Christian community (ESI 84)
  • Capable of carrying out the responsibilities that come from consecration (ESI 84)
  • “Has never been married and has never lived in public or open violation of chastity” (ESI 84)
  • “Evidence of an intense and vivid spiritual experience” (ESI 85)
  • “Authenticity of the motives that direct her towards consecration in the Ordo virginum (ESI 85)
  • “Aptitudes necessary for perseverance in the life of consecration” (ESI 85)
  • Spiritual maturity (ESI 84)

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: 

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). 


Requirements for Consecrated Virginity

a) her personal relationship with Christ and the desire to shape the whole of her being « to the Lord Jesus and to his total self-giving »as a loving response to his infinite love;

b) the sense of belonging to the Church, experienced through sharing in the life of the Christian community, supported by a deep love for ecclesial communion, by the celebration of the sacraments and by an attitude of filial obedience to the diocesan Bishop;

c) attention to the contemplative dimension of her life and fidelity to spiritual discipline, to times, rhythms and various forms of prayer;

d) diligence in penitential and ascetical practices and spiritual accompaniment;

e) eagerness to deepen her knowledge of scripture, the contents of the faith, liturgy, and the history and the magisterium of the Church;

f) passion for the Kingdom of God, which leads her to interpret the reality of her own times in accordance with evangelical criteria, and to respond to this reality with a sense of responsibility and a preferential love for those who are poor;

g) the presence of a comprehensive and global insight into her own vocation, which demonstrates a realistic understanding of her own history, her characteristics – her resources, limits, desires, aspirations and motivations – and which is consistent with the form of life of the Ordo virginum.

spiritual maturity is defined as (ESI 84):

a) realistic self-knowledge and a calm, objective awareness of her own talents and limits, together with a clear capacity for self-determination and an appropriate attitude towards the assumption of responsibility;

b) the capacity to establish healthy, serene and generous relationships with men and women, together with a correct understanding of the value of marriage and motherhood;

c) the capacity to integrate her sexuality with her personal identity and to direct her affective energies in a way that expresses her own femininity through a chaste life that is open to a wider spiritual fruitfulness.

d) her professional skills and capacity to work so as to provide for her own sustenance in a dignified manner;

e) a proven aptitude to reframe suffering and frustration, and to give and receive forgiveness, as possible steps towards the fullness of human nature;

f) fidelity to her word and to her commitments;

g) the responsible use of goods, of social media and of her free time.

Human maturity is defined as (ESI 87):

This is where discernment of Consecrated Virginity starts. All things must begin somewhere!

It is important to know and remember that one’s vocation is always first and foremost an invitation from the Lord. God greatly respects our freedom and wants us to make decisions about our life freely without coercion. He is also the one who calls us to our vocations.

This is discussed in Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago in paragraph 21:

The vocation of virgins consecrated in the Ordo virginum, like every Christian vocation, is the experience of dialogue between divine grace and human freedom. In fact, the virgin’s self-dedication is preceded, sustained and brought to fulfilment by the free, gratuitous initiative of God, on the basis of the baptismal vocation and within the generative fraternal framework of ecclesial relationships. 

If this is your first time discovering consecrated virginity, and you sense a draw towards it, then you will want to focus on deepening your prayer life, having spiritual direction with a wise spiritual director, making sure that your affairs are in order, and gathering information about the vocation.

While there are many informative resources available, ones to specifically focus on regarding the vocation of Consecrated Virginity are the Rite of Consecration, Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago, and the lives of the early virgin martyrs.

Step 1: Individual Discernment & Spiritual Direction

Steps to Consecrated Virginity

After a woman has familiarized herself with the vocation, senses a strong desire for it, and has been consistently meeting with her spiritual director about her discernment for a number of months, she may be ready to approach the diocese to express her interest in the vocation and apply for formation.

Some important terms here are:

  • Inquirer or aspirant: The term a woman is called when she has approached her Diocese seeking further discernment to vocation of Consecrated Virginity
  • Delegate: A person that the Bishop has chosen for the pastoral care of the Ordo virginum; manages communication between the aspirant and the Bishop

The goal of this period as mentioned in Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago is:

"…to verify the qualifications and prerequisites necessary for a beneficial course of formation with a view to consecration.

The length of this course and the manner in which it takes place must allow an effective knowledge of the aspirant on the part of the Bishop, the Delegate and the consecrated women who participate in the service of formation, and at the same time allow the aspirant to acquire knowledge of the essential aspects of consecration and of the form of life proper to the Ordo virginum, in a way that helps her to relate them to her own vocational intuition.” (ESI 92).  

This stage will ordinarily take one or two years.

Here the aspirant may be asked to meet with the delegate monthly to get to know her and learn more about the vocation and the diocese. She will work on completing an application for admittance to formation and she may be required to take a psychological exam.

Once an aspirant nears the end of the preparatory period, has submitted her application, and the Bishop has discerned that she has met the requirements and suitability for a candidate, she can then advance to the formation period. If the Bishop decides not to admit her to the next stage, God’s Will is somewhere else for her.

Remember that you could be the first or one of the first aspirants in your Diocese. If this is the case, you can expect delays as the Diocese determines how to support you in this renewed vocation. It is important to stay patient, humble, and faithful to the Lord during this time as He unfolds His Will in His perfect timing and ways.

For more detailed information on the preparatory period, please see paragraphs 80-96 of Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago.

Step 2: Approaching the Diocese - The Introductory or Preparatory Period

Once a woman is accepted into formation, she is known as a “candidate.” At this stage, the candidate receives formation of ordinarily two or three years to further her understanding of Consecrated Virginity and grow in her readiness to become consecrated.

Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago states: “the course of formation prior to consecration has the double objective of consolidating the Christian formation of the candidate and of offering her the necessary means to deepen her essential understanding of the characteristic elements and responsibilities that derive from consecration in the Ordo virginum” (ESI 97).

At this stage, the candidate is encouraged to grow in her discernment freely and prudently. She should be growing in her spiritual life, self-awareness, openness to the Holy Spirit, and commitment to ongoing formation.

The Bishop, a delegate, and consecrated women oversee the formation process. They evaluate the candidate’s growth and whether she is suitable for consecration. The candidate also continues her regular spiritual direction during this time. However, spiritual direction is maintained in the internal forum and not reported to the Bishop.

Here the candidate is also assisted in developing a daily rhythm of prayer, also commonly referred to as a “rule of life.” A standard day in the rule contains personal prayer, Mass, Liturgy of the Hours (at least Lauds and Vespers), meditation on Scripture, and devotion to Mary - all centered around dialogue with the Lord.

She also is expected to grow in bonding to her local Church, learn its history, culture and challenges, and serve in its mission. She actively participates in the evangelizing mission of the Church, according to the social and cultural context where the Lord wills her to live and work.

Finally, intellectual formation is emphasized through the study of theology, liturgy, ecclesiology, and anthropology for a balanced understanding of herself, others, relationship, self-gift, sacrifice and suffering.

It is also worth noting that the consecrated virgin typically maintains her normal life of work, prayer, taking care of her health, and maintaining relationships with family and friends at her home during the formation period. Prayerful consideration should go into how she will properly incorporate formation into her life.

For more detailed information on the formation period, please see paragraphs 97-103 of Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago.

Step 3: The Formation Period

Once the candidate has completed her time in formation, she may “petition” the Bishop to be consecrated by handwriting him her request to be admitted to the Order of Virgins.  

The Bishop then reviews the feedback from all who have accompanied the candidate through formation to assist his decision on whether to admit her to consecration based on the following criteria:

  • Is there moral certainty that she has an authentic vocation?
  • Does she truly possess a virginal charism?  
  • Is there a presence of the conditions and prerequisites for the candidate to accept and respond to the grace of consecration?
  • Is she able to bear an eloquent witness of her own vocation?
  • Does she show the capacity to persevere in her vocation and grow in generous self-gift to the Lord and to her neighbor?

If the Bishop decides that the candidate can be admitted to consecration, he and the candidate then determine the date and place of the consecration.

This is also the time that the diocesan community would be informed of the consecration, invited to pray for the candidate, and educated on the nuptial mystery of Christ and the Church that is to be celebrated.

For more detailed information on the final discernment or scrutiny period, please see paragraphs 104-107 of Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago.

Step 4: The Final Discernment or Scrutiny Period

This sacred rite is planned much like a wedding or ordination would be planned. She invites her family, friends, and clergy to attend and she chooses the readings and music. The candidate picks out a wedding dress, a ring, and a veil that will be worn during the liturgy.

On the day of her consecration, she is permanently changed. She receives the consecration at the hands of her Bishop and becomes a part of the Order of Virgins forever. 

"The grace of consecration in the Ordo virginum defines and shapes the spiritual features of the person in a permanent way. It directs her on the path of life, and supports and strengthens her in an increasingly generous response to her call" (ESI 75).

For more detailed information on what occurs during the consecration, please refer to the section “Consecrated to God… according to the approved liturgical rite” on the About page under the section “What does Consecrated Virginity mean?”

After the consecration takes place, the newly consecrated virgin will be given entry in the register of the Ordo virginum that is safeguarded in the diocesan curia. She will be issued a certificate of the event and her consecration will be annotated in the parish’s baptismal register.

Step 5: Consecration

The understanding of one’s vocation to the Ordo virginum does not culminate with consecration, but it is meant to grow ever deeper for the rest of the consecrated virgin’s life.  

Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago asserts that consecration “requires committed, constant attention to permanent formation that deepens and renews the reasons for the choice she has already made, and allows the consecrated woman to be strengthened in her own vocation at the same time that she is actually experiencing its intrinsic dynamism” (ESI 75).

Permanent formation is the shared responsibility of both the consecrated virgin herself and the diocesan Bishop (ESI 76). This formation should be discussed in the context of the ongoing pastoral dialogue between the Bishop, the father of the diocese, and his spiritual daughters that is initiated at the rite of consecration (Introduction to the Rite, 2). Typically, most Bishops and consecrated virgins have an annual individual meeting.

The Church’s concern for the consecrated virgin’s maturing, holistic growth is addressed in Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago’s section regarding permanent formation:

All the dimensions of the life of the consecrated woman must be involved: her identity as a woman in a specific cultural and social context, a disciple of the Lord in the pilgrim Church in history, called to be a special sign of the spousal love of Christ and the Church, as a consecrated woman in the specific form of life of the Ordo virginum.

Permanent formation therefore requires humility, attention, intelligence, responsibility and creativity on the part of each consecrated woman.

In this context, the specific activities of permanent formation are instruments intended to help deepen their personal understanding of the virginal charism, to foster the integration of living in total dedication to the Lord, and to sustain the consecrated women in their commitment to fulfill the responsibilities that arise from consecration (ESI 108-109).

Once a woman is consecrated, she also joins the communion of the consecrated women of the Ordo virginum in her diocese. While the consecrated virgins of a particular diocese may be living vastly different lives far away from each other across the span of their diocese, they should be mutually charitable and serving. As they are able, these women together seek to learn more about the Christian life, especially that of consecrated virginity in the context of their own diocese. 

For more detailed information on permanent formation, please see paragraphs 108-113 of Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago.

Step 6: Permanent Formation