Consecrated virgins enter into spousal relationship with Jesus; maintain independent lives
In just a few weeks, Amber Buchheit will lie prostrate in the sanctuary of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis to give her life to Christ as a consecrated virgin living in the world.
After years of discerning a vocation, Buchheit, 38, of Perryville, was introduced to consecrated virginity through a seminarian friend who later went on to become a priest. She previously had considered religious life but felt God wasn’t calling her there, said the member of the Oratory of Sts. Gregory and Augustine, who works as an emergency room nurse.
“It was kind of this whole rush of emotions, in a sense,” Buchheit said. “There was a deep, deep sense of peace, but it also kind of felt like you got the wind knocked out of you. And in the deepest part of my heart, I heard consecrated virgin and nurse.”
Buchheit will make a public vow of consecration before Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, who will preside at the 10 a.m. Mass on Thursday, Aug. 22, (the feast of the queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary) at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. All are invited to attend.
Consecrated virgins give the gift of their spiritual, psychological and physical virginity to God and enter into a spousal relationship with Him. It is one of five forms of consecrated life recognized by the Church’s Code of Canon Law. It also is one of the Church’s oldest vocations, with the virgin martyrs of the Roman Empire, including St. Agnes and St. Lucy, counted among the first consecrated virgins. In 1970, the Church reintroduced the rite of consecration of virgins.
Under the direction of their diocesan bishop, consecrated virgins live financially independent lives. They are consecrated in the same way as a woman religious, but they do not live in a religious community. Consecrated virgins also dedicate their lives to praying for priests and the needs of the Church, with a particular dedication to praying the Liturgy of the Hours.
Consecrated life is a permanent state of life recognized by the Church, entered freely in response to the call of Christ to the perfection of love and characterized by the making of public vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The word consecrated means “to make holy” and is a response to God’s call to participate in His holiness.
Other forms of consecrated life include religious life, in which men and women make vows of poverty, celibate chastity and obedience, typically live in community and follow an approved rule; secular institutes, in which members make vows similar to those in religious life, but live in the secular world as consecrated laity or diocesan priests; diocesan hermits, who live a hidden contemplative life praying for the needs of the local Church and the world; and consecrated widows, who profess celibacy and are involved in their local communities and parishes. Each form of consecrated life is unique, but all are united in their mission to serve the Lord, whether by a life dedicated to apostolic service, cloistered prayer or another type of apostolate.
As she progressed through her formation with the archdiocesan Office of Consecrated Life, Buchheit said she felt ever more sure that this is what God created her to do.
“This is what, God willing, will get me to heaven,” she said. “This is the way that I’m supposed to respond to the invitation that Jesus has given me to love Him and serve Him and to, you know, take care of others this way — by being a night shift ER nurse, by living my daily life in Perryville, whatever form that takes.”
There are approximately 5,000 consecrated virgins throughout the world, including more than 300 in the United States, according to the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins. The first woman in St. Louis to be publicly consecrated as a virgin was Cathy Maley in 2006.
Mass of Consecration
WHAT: Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski will preside at a Mass of Consecration for Amber Buchheit, who will be consecrated as a virgin living in the world.
WHEN: 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis; all are welcome to attend the Mass
