medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
The list will probably be interested in this ritual.
Can anyone supply more information on the late antique/medieval rite
and/or thinking?
DW
http://tinyurl.com/z7e4k
*Woman dedicates her lifetime of virginity to Jesus*
/The Associated Press/
EAST AURORA, N.Y. — She stood at the altar in a white gown and veil, but
she was there for no earthly man. Lori Rose Cannizzaro was dedicating
her virginity to Jesus.
Saturday's rare Roman Catholic ceremony, one her pastor didn't know
existed, turned Cannizzaro into a "consecrated virgin." Fewer than 200
women in the United States and 2,000 worldwide have declared their
perpetual virginity this way, according to the U.S. Association of
Consecrated Virgins.
"There are people who think I'm nuts," said Cannizzaro, 42.
The ceremony was a revival of one of the church's oldest rituals.
The rite is available only to virgins who agree to abstain from sex so
they can dedicate their lives to Jesus Christ in what the association
describes as a mystical marriage and a profound spiritual blessing. Each
woman wears a band on her left ring finger as a symbol, much like a
wedding band.
Cannizzaro, who is not a nun, will continue to live on her own and work
as a cook at Christ the King Seminary in a Buffalo suburb.
She said she has plenty of support from family and friends. "It is a
good and holy thing to want to be in a virginal state," she said.
The idea of consecrated virgins faded in the Middle Ages, but Pope Paul
VI restored the rite in 1970. Only a bishop can perform the special
Mass. Bishop Edward Kmiec led Cannizzaro's ceremony at her home parish,
Immaculate Conception.
Cannizzaro, who spent the past two years taking seminary classes in
preparation, said she knew more than a decade ago she would be better
off single.
"Dating wasn't working. I wasn't connecting," she said.
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