KATHLEEN
Tierney,
member of the
DeSales Secular
Institute, prays
the Rosary.
COURTES Y OF THE UNITED S TATES CONFERENCE OF SECULAR INS TITUTES
obedience through the witness of
their lives and their apostolic activity
wherever they are employed. Usually
members do not live in community,
though in some cases they may.
Secular institutes are for laywomen, laymen, and diocesan
priests. Periodically members of
secular institutes come together for
retreats and meetings. The U.S. Conference of Secular Institutes website,
secularinstitutes.org, offers general
information about secular institutes
and contact information for about 20
groups.
Consecrated virgins
According to church law, consecrated virgins are “. . . consecrated to
God, mystically espoused to Christ,
and dedicated to the service of the
church. . . .” A woman is admitted
to consecration by her local bishop,
who determines the conditions under
which she lives her life of perpetual
virginity. Candidates for consecration
must be women who have never been
married, had children, or lived in
open violation of chastity. Once consecrated, a woman is closely bonded
to her diocese and its bishop and
supports the diocesan clergy through
prayer and sacrifice. A diocese does
not take on financial responsibility
for a consecrated virgin. More information is available from the United
States Association of Consecrated
Virgins, consecratedvirgins.org.
Lay ecclesial movements
Lay ecclesial movements are church
organizations focused on a particular
ministry or spirituality, or both. The
Vatican’s Pontifical Council of the
Laity has published an online directory of international associations of
