Pittsburgh-area woman receives special rite from Diocese of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I will be honest, I do not understand how this can be considered a good thing.  Although by appearance Miss Ryan has led a fulfilling life, I still don't get it,,,

Sheila Ryan said she sensed she has had an unusual call from God from the time of her upbringing in McKeesport.

It wasn’t until recently, though, that she learned the Catholic Church had a name for it and an official liturgy to formalize it.

Early Sunday morning at St. Richard Church in Richland, the retired school teacher and administrator became the first woman in the Diocese of Pittsburgh to receive the Rite of Consecration of a Virgin Living in the World.

With Bishop David Zubik presiding at the ceremony, she wore a white dress and received a ring and veil to symbolize her marriage to Christ alone. She also received an edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, a set of daily prayers she has committed to offering.

“I knew as a teenager that I was not called to the married state,” said Ms. Ryan, who now lives in Valencia and is active at St. Richard. “It’s listening to God and being open to his workings of grace within us. Nobody would seek this life, which is counter-cultural, unless it were a gift from God. And I consider it a gift.”

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The rite 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 making such a commitment, but it fell into disuse in the Middle Ages when unmarried women committed to chastity were steered to religious orders.

Pittsburgh-area woman receives special rite from Diocese of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette