By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor

EDWARDSVILLE — For nearly 19 years, Theresa Howard of Edwardsville has been in a unique vocation — she is a consecrated virgin living in the world. That means she has taken vows to live “consecrated to God, mystically espoused to Christ and dedicated to the service of the Church” (Canon 604). In short, she has taken a vow of living in perpetual virginity and is responsible to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, receives the sacraments, and is faithful to private prayer. 

Howard took her vows at St. Mary Church in Alton, with then-Bishop George Lucas consecrating her to this form of religious life on May 4, 2003. She was the first consecrated virgin the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. She is not known as “Sister,” and lives in her own home and is responsible for her own material needs. She does not wear a veil or any special clothing, but she does wear a special ring, which is her a symbol of her mystical marriage to Christ. 

Looking back on her spiritual journey, Howard, who is now a parishioner at Mother of Perpetual Parish in Maryville and a member of the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins, says she really had no idea God would lead her to this vocation, but she is sure she is living life exactly the way God had planned for her.  “As I look back at my childhood, I can see God at work through my mother who taught me about Jesus and Mary,” she said. “By her words and actions, she taught me how to pray and how to live my life for God.”

As she grew to adolescence, Howard, like many young women, went out on dates. “I dated in high school and a little bit afterwards, but I had no idea when I was younger, that God had a beautiful vocation set aside for me,” she said. 

In these photos, taken May 4, 2003, Theresa Howard makes her vows as a consecrated virgin living in the world to then-Bishop George Lucas at St. Mary (Immaculate Conception) Parish in Alton. 

However, by the time Howard was in her early 20s she began to hear God’s call. So, for many years she lived a private promise of perpetual virginity — long before she sought consecration. “For many years I searched and discerned where God was calling me to serve Him,” she said. “For many years I heard nothing but silence and yet I knew He wanted me to give my life to Him. During this time, I also worked, helped out with my parents before they died, attended college, volunteered in a couple of organizations in the community, was active in parish ministries, and went to the adoration chapel for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.” 

During the 1980s, Howard visited religious communities and by late in that decade, after spending time for about a year in one community, she talked to the vocation director. “The vocation director told me that they would like for me to enter that Aug. 1, upon completion of the psychological testing and a physical,” she said. However, that was when the unexpected happened.

“On my way home, I was in a near-fatal accident and ended up on life support. When I woke up, I asked God what He was trying to tell me. Was He telling me no to this community? Was He telling me no to religious life? Was He telling me no for now? I was so confused and later told the vocation director that I needed more time for discernment and would not be entering the community. Also, due to internal injuries and learning how to walk, it took me a year to recuperate.” 

As Howard recovered, she began to search for her calling once again. “I served as a lay Dominican associate for one year,” she said. “I then started preparation to the Secular Franciscan Order — my profession ceremony was Jan. 12, 1997. The evening before my profession, I felt that God was asking more of me.”

The next year, Howard went on to join St. Mary (Immaculate Conception) Parish in Alton. “In October of that year my new spiritual director mentioned the vocation of consecrated virginity,” she said. “I pushed that aside until some time later when another priest asked me if I had ever looked into that vocation. As I was driving home that day I thought ‘Why would God call me to that life?’ Upon arriving home, I heard God say, ‘Check it out.’”

That’s when Howard’s journey to her present vocation began in earnest. With the assistance of her spiritual director, she studied and prepared for her consecration. She was under the guidance of Bishop Lucas and had meetings with a Franciscan religious with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in Alton.  Her mentor was a consecrated virgin in Mexico, Mo.

Howard, who is now 70 years old, retired and a church volunteer, says she has had many challenges and opportunities to grow closer to God over the past 18-plus years. “All of those years that I spent searching for God’s will in my life were not wasted. The joy, peace, and freedom I experienced on my wedding day have grown these past years.” 

Although some people don’t understand Howard’s vocation, she is comfortable explaining it this way: “Since my consecration, people have asked me what I didn’t enter the convent or why I chose this vocation. I simply smile and tell them that God wanted me in the world. Also, God chose me to be His bride.” 

More about the vocation of consecrated virgins

The rite of the vocation of consecrated virgins traces its origins to Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew that some people renounce marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of God. The ancient Church had a liturgy for women who made this commitment. However, over time most women who were committed to chastity joined the many religious orders. 

On May 30, 1970, Pope Paul VI re-instituted the rite. 

Today, there are just over 250 consecrated virgins living in the United States and about 4,000 of these women worldwide. In the United States, consecrated virgins today include teachers, social workers, businesswomen, librarians, accountants, nurses, physicians, a fire fighter, a dance teacher, women employed in a variety of Church positions, retired women, women with disabilities, women dedicated to prayer, or devoted to the care of a family member, those dedicated to volunteer work, as well as other professions. 

Consecrated virgins hold much in common with one another. Their common spirituality is that of living as a bride of Christ, the spirituality of the Church herself, and of the Blessed Mother. Some members also follow preferred Franciscan, Benedictine, Carmelite or Ignatian spirituality. 

Catholic Times file photo