By Emily Booker
The United States Association of Consecrated Virgins (USACV) held its national convocation in Gatlinburg June 27-30. Some 30 consecrated virgins from all across the nation, including Hawaii, gathered for learning, prayer, and fellowship.
Consecrated virginity is the oldest form of consecrated life in the Catholic Church. A consecrated virgin is considered a “bride of Christ,” offering herself and all the love she may have given to a spouse and children to Christ and the Church. Consecrated virgins live out in the world; they hold regular jobs and provide for themselves. But their lives are directed by their commitment to Christ.
Bishop Mark Beckman receives the gifts from Magalis Aguilera and Maria Luisa Meza, members of the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins, during Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 27. (Photo Emily Booker)
There has been a resurgence in this vocation since the Order of Virgins was officially restored as a distinct form of consecrated life in 1970. According to the USACV, there are now more than 300 consecrated virgins in the United States.
Bishop Mark Beckman celebrated the opening of the convocation with Mass on June 27 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The day happened to be the solemnity of the Sacred Heart, the cathedral’s patronal feast day.
“I’m so grateful that we have the consecrated virgins here today on the feast of the Sacred Heart because I cannot think of a better place and time to celebrate the gift that they are to the Church. The Sacred Heart of Jesus has claimed them in a special way as He is their Bridegroom. It’s the perfect place and time to do this,” Bishop Beckman said.
Bishop Earl Boyea, bishop of the Diocese of Lansing, Mich., and episcopal moderator of the USACV, and Father Danny Herman, associate pastor of the cathedral, concelebrated the Mass. Deacon Walt Otey served as deacon of the Word.
Francesca Riddick, a consecrated virgin from the Diocese of Joliet, Ill., proclaimed the first reading, and Julie Radachy, a consecrated virgin from the Diocese of Knoxville, proclaimed the second reading.
In his homily, Bishop Beckman reflected on how the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a reminder of God’s infinite love.
“It is so good to be with you today on this feast day of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus here in our cathedral church,” he said. “As we think for a moment about the words of Paul the Apostle today, he says the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit as a gift to us. We know the origin of that love that is poured out for us is Jesus, both human and divine heart, full of love for us. The unconditional, infinite love of God in the human and divine love of Jesus poured out for each one of us unconditionally, no holds barred on God’s part.”
The bishop reflected Pope Francis’ last encyclical, Dilexit nos (“He loved us”) focused on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“A few weeks ago, someone gave me the book of Pope Francis, ‘On Hope,’” Bishop Beckman said. “Early in the book he talks about a virtue that has been forgotten in our world today: the virtue of tenderness. Pope Francis says it is so important in the healing of our world today, the tenderness of a shepherd who is willing to go and search that one lost sheep and do whatever it takes to bring that sheep home. And when he finds it, he places it—I would say ever so tenderly—gently on his shoulders to bring that sheep home. We know the tender love of that shepherd because we’re here today.”
The bishop then addressed the consecrated virgins directly.
“To you consecrated virgins, in a very special way you have consecrated yourselves to Jesus, your Bridegroom. His love for you and your love for Him is but a miracle. Thank God for His love for you,” he remarked.
At the end of the Mass, Bishop Boyea encouraged everyone to share the love of God they have received, in whatever vocation God has called them to live.
Bishop Beckman and Bishop Earl Boyea of the Diocese of Lansing, Mich., distribute Communion during the Mass. Bishop Boyea is the episcopal moderator for the USACV. (Photo Emily Booker)
“It’s good to be here. Thank you so much for your hospitality,” he said. “The one thing I want to say about our consecrated virgins is that the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That happened at our baptism and our confirmation. What are we going to do with that love? Most of you will spend that love with a spouse, thanks be to God. We bishops and priests, we’ll spend that love with the Church. These ladies have decided to dedicate their love back to Jesus Christ as their spouse. We all have to spend the love that has been poured into our hearts. Don’t keep it to yourself. God bless you all.”
Following Mass, the women headed to Gatlinburg for their convocation.
When the USACV was looking for a location for its 2025 convocation, Miss Radachy suggested the Diocese of Knoxville. The Smoky Mountains made for a beautiful, inspiring backdrop as women from all over the country gathered in Gatlinburg for both reflection and friendship.
“We held it in such a beautiful place. Most of us love nature, want to be out in nature and look at God’s beautiful creation. So, it was just a nice convocation, time for us to be together,” Valerie Wilson, a consecrated virgin from the Archdiocese of Louisville, said.
Miss Wilson said her favorite part of convocation was spending time with her “fellow sisters,” women whose daily lives may look different but are united by a shared calling.
The retreat-style convocation included daily Mass, confession, adoration, and personal prayer.
Bishop Boyea and chaplain Father David Whiteside led a series of talks that focused on each of the mansions in St. Teresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle.
One of the USACV leaders who is also a musician led the group in chant workshops on the Liturgy of the Hours. Consecrated virgins pray, at minimum, morning and evening prayer every day.
Of course, the convocation also gave the women time with their Holy Spouse.
“It was very eucharistic-focused as well,” Miss Radachy said. “We had holy hours, daily Mass, opportunities for confession, and then free time just to spend some time in the Smokies and spend time in God’s creation and just kind of reflect on everything that we had been learning as we were going along.”
The final night together included a talent show. The opportunity to get together and bond with others in the vocation is an opportunity many treasure. Several women stayed on for a few more days to explore the area.
“Overall, it was just such a beautiful experience,” Miss Radachy said. “This was my first one, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I know that there would be some graces that would come out of it, but the graces were really just more than I ever expected. It’s just kind of one example of the generosity of God because He was able to bring all of us together and be able to bring all of the joy of our vocation and be able to have that as a community.”
Since most dioceses have only one or two consecrated virgins, it can be difficult to build a community. While most engage in their parish and diocesan communities, it is also rewarding to have connections with other consecrated virgins, women who understand the particular ups and downs of the vocation, which is one of the reasons they hold the annual convocation.
“The annual convocations are a beautiful opportunity to form friendships with consecrated virgins who live far away,” Madeleine Troppe, a consecrated virgin from the Diocese of Pittsburgh, said. “In fact, at the first convocation I attended, I met another consecrated virgin who has become one of my dearest friends. She lives in Arizona, and I live in Pennsylvania, so we don’t see each other often, but we keep in touch frequently. My life has been so enriched by knowing her and so many other lovely consecrated virgins I’ve met.”
The women also connect online throughout the year.
Miss Radachy said a group of consecrated virgins will pray vespers together online for certain feast days, especially virgin saint feast days and Marian feast days.
Miss Radachy was consecrated as a bride of Christ in 2022 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. She currently works as the director of religious education for St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut.
Miss Radachy said she knew from a young age that she was called to be a bride of Christ, but it took her some time to discern what that might look like. She contemplated joining a religious order, but she found that God was calling her to consecrated virginity.
Members of the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins gather in Gatlinburg during their 2025 national convocation. The women joined for fellowship, prayer, and learning sessions during the convocation, which was held June 27-30. (Photo courtesy of Julie Radachy)
“It really is such a beautiful vocation,” she said. “One of the things that is unique about consecrated virginity is that to kind of borrow from St. Teresa a little bit is the fact that we are all such different flowers in the same field. We’re able to use our gifts and talents in a way that is going to bring people to God. It’s just something that is very individual; it looks different for each individual. It’s really being able to live the fullness of you for God.”
Miss Wilson agreed that the vocation is lived out in a wide range of ways, different for every consecrated virgin.
“There’s just this enormous diversity. We’re all so unique, but we’re still called into the same vocation to be the bride of Christ. How it plays out is different according to each individual. It just depends on what God is directing you to do. I asked God, ‘What do you want me to do?’ and you know, He told me I was being called to prayer. I spend a lot of time in intercessory prayer for the world, the diocese, the needs of different people.”
Miss Wilson has been a consecrated virgin for nine years. She said she started exploring the vocation after two separate spiritual directors suggested it to her.
“I noticed the one thing that really ever made me happy was when I was serving the Lord,” she said.
She noted that the vocation comes with its hardships as well.
“If you’re a bride of Christ you’re going to be carrying a cross, right?” she said. “The brideship of Christ is carrying a cross a lot of times. It’s a lot of different crosses; sometimes they’re small crosses; sometimes they’re large crosses. If you’re a spouse to Christ, you can expect those crosses to come, sometimes from very unusual places and unexpected places. And whenever they come, you just have to remember what Jesus suffered through in His human life.”
But in suffering with Christ, there also comes joy in Christ.
“When I was discerning, an elderly consecrated virgin gleefully told me, ‘If you’re going to live a life with Jesus, you’d better buckle up because it’s going to be a wild ride,’” Miss Troppe said. “It was so charming and so true. I often think of one of my favorite Pope Francis quotes: ‘If we wish to follow Christ closely, we cannot choose an easy, quiet life. It will be a demanding life, but full of joy.’”
Miss Troppe was consecrated a bride of Christ in 2023. She said she was first introduced to the vocation through roommates who were discerning religious life or other forms of consecrated life. She attended a consecration ceremony with one of these roommates.
“Watching the consecration ceremony unfold, something stirred in my heart, and I found myself wanting to do what these women were doing someday. It didn’t make much sense to me because I knew so little about the vocation and hadn’t had Jesus on my radar as a potential husband,” she said.
For her, living out the vocation includes prayer and teaching.
“I work at a Catholic grade school teaching math and science enrichment and support. Working with children is a beautiful opportunity to be a witness, to share with them the joy of being completely given to Christ,” she said.
“Also, since I don’t have my own children, I’m available to love my students in a different way than my married colleagues can. There is a sense in which I see them all as my own children, insofar as that they have been entrusted to my care and that I have a responsibility to help foster their spiritual and human development,” Miss Troppe noted. “It’s a very joyful life.”
For those discerning a consecrated vocation, go to the USACV website, www.consecratedvirgins.org. USACV also hosts annual information conferences for those discerning.