St.Louis Review:  Theresa Prosser was fitted for her dress by Peggy Feldt at Custom Alterations in Valley Park. She will be consecrated as a virgin living in the world...

Dedicated Women Serve the Church in the World by Susan Klemond; article featured in the September 2013 issue of the National Catholic Register

   Last week, my friend Elizabeth Lam became a consecrated virgin in and for the Diocese of Oakland. Bishop Salvatore Cordileone was the presider for the rite of consecration, which was performed in the context of a Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the Light.
   Elizabeth is not bound to a religious community, but rather lives in the world. Through her consecration, she has made a total gift of herself to the local Church under the leadership of her bishop.
   There are only about 200 consecrated virgins in the United States, but there is a revival of this ancient rite taking place. As Bishop Cordileone noted at the outset of his homily, some of the most revered saints of Christian antiquity were consecrated virgins, like Sts. Cecilia, Lucy, Agnes, and Agatha.

Free Press: Detroit, MI: February 15, 2007; by Scott Alessi.
   Helen A. Qua walked into St. Cecilia Church dressed in white, ready to profess her vow of love to the most important person in her life. The ceremony that followed, however, was a very unique wedding

Archdiocese of Miami (Florida): Decembr 2, 2006; by Ana Rodriguez-Soto-Miami.
   María de los Angeles Expósito got married Dec. 2. She wore white. A soloist sang "Ave Maria." The only difference between Expósito and any other bride is that her bridegroom is Jesus Christ — and the matchmaker was his mother.

Free Press: Detroit, MI: August 23, 2005; by Patricia Montemurri.
   Accountant Judith Stegman, 49, praying in her basement in Haslett on Friday, considers herself married to Jesus and says she's no longer defensive of her decision to remain chaste. In fact, she wants to celebrate the beauty she sees in it. Sunday marked her 12th year of consecrated celibacy.

Post-Dispatch: St. Louis, MO: August 11, 2004; by Tim Townsend.
   Like many women, Carol Lankford fell in love with someone she had previously thought of as a good friend. When she finally received a proposal, Lankford set a date, bought a white dress and invited friends and family to a ceremony and reception. But on July 10, 1996, those witnessing the ceremony at St. Brendan's church in Mexico, Mo., could see only the bride, because Lankford's bridegroom was Jesus.

Houston Chronicle: Houston, TX: May 14, 2004; by Tara Dooley.
   The bride wore white and carried a dozen red roses. But when the ceremony ended, Alice Claire Mansfield did not toss her bouquet in the air. Instead, dressed in a long white alb, Mansfield walked with the flowers through St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church to the sounds of Ave Maria. At a statue of Mary, she paused in prayer before placing the stems in a vase at the Virgin Mother's feet.

Catholic Exponent: Youngtown, OH: December 5, 2003; by Susan K. Virgalitte
   The consecration of a virgin lay woman is an ancient tradition in the Catholic Church restored during the Second Vatican Council. It is becoming popular again today with women who feel the call to dedicate their entire lives to God while living and working in the world.

The Gazette: Schenectady, NY: November 22, 2003; by Katy Moeller.
   As a sign of her devotion to Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church, Judith Mary Hervieux wears a gold band on her ring finger. She's not married — at least not in the traditional sense. Nor is she a nun, who may wear a ring to symbolize her commitment to God. Hervieux is a consecrated virgin.

Rocky Mountain News: Denver, CO: October 4, 2003; by James B. Meadow
   In a culture where sex and sexuality flash like neon, where promiscuity seems to coil on every street corner, it's no wonder the faith-driven course of Anne Inkret and Celeste Thomas seems utterly strange. Inkret and Thomas are consecrated virgins, brides of Jesus Christ, adherents of a calling that is almost as old as the Catholic Church itself.

The Catholic Connector: Grand Rapids, MI: September 2003
   In today's society, it takes a strong and rare woman to stand up and publicly commit herself to God as a virgin. She has to be prepared for those who will not understand the meaning behind such a commitment. But within the community of the faithful, she finds support and understanding.Such a woman exists here in West Michigan: Amy Shank was consecrated by Bishop Kevin M. Britt on Aug. 10 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew.

Lansing State Journal; Lansing, MI; August 31, 2003; by Shirley Jones
   Karen Bussey got married 11 years ago. She had the white dress, the band of gold and the church, fragrant with flowers. But there was no visible groom. "Today, I become a bride of Christ, a consecrated virgin," she said. With those words, Bussey, 47, joined a little-known, ancient order of women in the Roman Catholic Church. Consecrated virgins currently number about a thousand worldwide, including 100 in the United States and five in mid-Michigan.

The Oregonian; Portland, OR; June 27, 2003; by Nancy Haught
   Most of the suburb is still asleep. At 5:15 a.m., the night sky begins to seep away, but morning bides its time. A soft knock at the door is answered quickly. Inside the yellow split level, what was once a living room is now a chapel....Today, Matulich is 61, a resident of Oregon City and a modern version of an ancient order in the Catholic Church. She is not a nun or a sister or part of any religious community. She is a consecrated virgin, set apart as a bride of Christ but a woman who, in the language of the church, "lives in the world."

Bewdley Parish Worcestershire, England; undated, 2003; by Francine Parnes
   As Kathleen Danes prepares to become a June bride, in her bedroom closet hangs her gown, in a shade of sky blue. It is not that Ms. Danes is ineligible for virginal white. Quite the contrary; at her church ceremony, she will formally become a consecrated virgin wedded to Jesus Christ.

Diocese of Terni Narni Amelia, Italy; June 8, 2003
   With a solemn celebration in in the Cathedral on Sunday, June 8, the presence of the Order of Virgins has begun in the Diocese. The virginal consecration of Emanuela Buccioni is like the small seed of an institution, an "Order of Virgins" around the diocesan bishop— new in our days, but ancient, like the Church of the first centuries.

Archdioses of Santiago, Chile; May 3, 2003
   Six women, most of them professional, were consecrated as Virgins of the Church by Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, during a liturgical ceremony Saturday, May3 , at 10:00 a.m., in the Metropolitan Cathedral. With this consecration the "Order of the Consecrated Virgins" is born in the Archdiocese of Santiago

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La Crosse Tribune; La Crosse, WI; April 21, 2003; by Gayda Hollnagel
   Barbara Swieciak has a college degree and is a former elementary school teacher and librarian. Yet Swieciak has found fulfillment in another field, that of a consecrated virgin, committed to living her life for Christ.

Chicago Tribune; Chicago, Ill.; Jan 4, 2003; by Julia Lieblich, Tribune religion reporter
   Theresa Ann Marie Drajin walks up the aisle of Holy Name Cathedral Friday at her consecration as a virgin ceremony. Cardinal Francis George takes the hands of Theresa Ann Marie Drajin during the ceremony Friday evening at Holy Name Cathedral in which she was consecrated as a bride of Jesus Christ.

FAITH Magazine; Lansing, MI; December 2002; by Patricia Majher
   A simple gold band - inscribed "beloved" - is the only outward sign of Susan Cummins' special calling. Is she a married woman? Yes, but not in the sense you'd think. This petite brunette with a warm, wide smile is mystically espoused to Christ.