The Order of Consecrated Virgins is known as Ordo Virginium. A consecrated virgin or Member of the Ordo Virginium is a woman who has been consecrated by the Church and lives a life of perpetual virginity as a bride of Christ. She is consecrated by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite. The bishop is her spiritual father and the diocese her spiritual family.
The virgin goes to Mass often and prays the Liturgy of the Hours. Her service to the Church is by being where the Church is not, as a consecrated person in secular society. They are financially independent and mostly have secular jobs.
The Ordo Virginium is the first form of consecrated life in the Church with the virgin martyrs in the second century. By the 10th century, the vocation faded out.
The vocation was reintroduced in 1970 as an outcome of Vatican II. Today, there are over 5,000 members worldwide, with nine in Australia and one in the Diocese of Parramatta. It’s appeal and growth stem from the consecration and independence the life offers.
