She promised to remain a virgin forever

Being single can be a state of life in the strict sense when one promises to remain "single" forever. Miss Hausmann asked me to add that consecrated virginity is not ‘being single’ as such, but that there is an actual gift of self to the Divine Bridegroom, an espousal. This distinction is important because it is actually a better reflection of the theology of our bodies… in that we do have a spousal meaning of our bodies that is fulfilled in the permanent vocations of marriage, priesthood, consecrated life of the various kinds, where we are giving ourselves irrevocably to a spouse (husband/wife, or to God himself) taking the form of Jesus’ own gift of self to his spouse, the Church irrevocably.

St. Thomas defines state of life in the following way:

"'State,' [status] properly speaking, denotes a kind of position, whereby a thing is disposed with a certain immobility in a manner according with its nature… Hence it is again that even in human acts, a matter is said to have stability [statum] in reference to its own disposition in the point of a certain immobility or restfulness. Consequently matters which easily change and are extrinsic to them do not constitute a state among men, for instance that a man be rich or poor, of high or low rank, and so forth."


Exact words of the rite when the woman promises her virginity:

EXAMINATION:

17. After the homily the candidates stand and the bishop questions them in these or similar words: Are you resolved to persevere to the end of you days in the holy state of virginity and in the service of God and his Church? Together, all the candidates answer: I am. Bishop: Are you so resolved to follow Christ in the spirit of the Gospel that your whole life may be a faithful witness to God’s love and a convincing sign of the kingdom of heaven? Candidates: I am. Bishop: Are you resolved to accept solemn consecration as a bride of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God? Candidates: I am. Bishop and all present:

Thanks be to God

Then when they kneel before Bishop they say this:

RENEWAL OF INTENTION:

22. Then, if it seems suitable, the candidates offer themselves to God at the hands of the bishop. This may be done, for example, in the following way: the candidates come one by one before the bishop. Each one kneels, places her joined hands between his hands and says: Father, receive my resolution to follow Christ in a life of perfect chastity which, with God’s help, I here profess before you and God’s holy people

You can find both of those references in the rite here: https://consecratedvirgins.org/usacv/...



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