In April of this year, I got to spend an incredible week with the consecrated women of Regnum Christi at Mater Ecclesia College in Rhode Island. I had one of the most wonderful spiritual experiences of my life. (link to my article below?)
I have to say that one of the best parts was being in their Chapel listening to the women sing. Giving God praise in song has always been an integral part of the consecrated women’s prayer life. And if you are not able to spend a week at Mater Ecclesiae, but you have a computer, why not enhance your own prayer with their music?
Several of their CDs and even one of their latest singles are available for download at three online sites. The music collections entitled “I Can Love You Still” and “Making All Things New,” and the new single “Holding On,” are available at the following links:
http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/consecrated/books.phtml?se=376&ca=454&te=707
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/regnumchrist3
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/consecrated-women-regnum-christi/id379571243
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PWDCB4/ref=dm_sp_adp?ie=UTF8&qid=1279200705&sr=8-1
Soon they will be available on others sites. (We will keep you posted!) You can listen to a sampling of their music at each site, and if you download their music, 91 percent of the proceeds goes back to support the work of the consecrated!
In case you want more of their music, I have compiled a list of their other CDs, which include: “Cast the Nets,” “In His Presence,” “And the Word Became Flesh,” “Life in Christ” and “Behold Your Mother,” as well as an audio-book collection of vocation testimonies called “Count the Stars.”
You can order all these CDs directly from the Consecrated Women by contacting Maritza Silva or Susan Girard at (401) 949-2820, emailing them at msilva@inteducators.org, writing to their address at Mater Ecclesiae College, 60 Austin Ave., Greenville, RI 02828 or going online to http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/consecrated/books.phtml?se=376&ca=454&te=707.
Kelly, thank you for providing an opportunity for the readers to listen to the beautiful voices of the consecrated women of Regnum Christi.
Regarding the consecrated, I have found this description in canon law:
Can. 588 §1 In itself, the state of consecrated life is neither clerical nor lay.
Can. 599 The evangelical counsel of chastity embraced for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven, is a sign of the world to come, and a source of greater fruitfulness in an undivided heart. It involves the obligation of perfect continence observed in celibacy.
Can. 604 §1 The order of virgins is also to be added to these forms of consecrated life. Through their pledge to follow Christ more closely, virgins are consecrated to God, mystically espoused to Christ and dedicated to the service of the Church, when the diocesan Bishop consecrates them according to the approved liturgical rite.
§2 Virgins can be associated together to fulfill their pledge more faithfully, and to assist each other to serve the Church in a way that befits their state.
In addition:
“This sacramental is reserved to the Bishop of the diocese. The consecrated virgin shares intimately in the nature and mission of the Church: she is a living image of the Church’s love for her Spouse while sharing in His redemptive mission.
The consecrated virgin living in the world embodies a definitive vocation in itself. She is not a quasi-Religious, nor is she in a vocation that is in the process of becoming a Religious institute or congregation. Nevertheless, she is a consecrated person, with her bishop as her guide. By virtue of the Consecration, she is responsible to pray for her diocese and clergy. At no time is her diocese responsible for her financial support.”
(Source: http://www.consecratedvirgins.org/cv/whatcv.html)
It is truly edifying to learn that the local bishop not only approves of the consecration but, in fact, presides over the rite. Also, that consecrated may associate with each other (living in community?) in order to fulfill the duties and assist each other as befits their state in life, but are not, in fact, lay nor religious. Finally, consecrated virgins are an integral part of the Church, supporting their bishop and their diocese with their prayers.
I have heard conflicting descriptions of the consecrated women of Regnum Christi by members of the movement and others. For instance, some consider them to be equivalent to religious sisters, while others have described them as laity having no separate canonical status. According to one member recently – whose daughter is in formation with the consecrated – the consecrated make their promises of consecration in front of a priest and not the bishop.
Obviously it’s important for everyone to have an accurate understanding of what exactly is a “consecrated virgin” of the Catholic Church and so I hope the above description proves helpful.
Thank you again!
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