Fort Wayne woman marries God | WANE

So, prior to Sheila Ryan's wedding in June, this ritual rite of becoming a consecrated virgin was foreign.  Now we have a second one.  From Sarah Rasher, 

To hear Hayes talk about her marriage to Christ — which differs from becoming a nun because Hayes remains a layperson — her decision is in line with contemporary ideas about sexual diversity and acceptance of differences.

“I think that in some sense, we’re all called to be married. It’s just a matter of discerning how. So, my marriage is to Christ and someone else’s marriage is to their spouse. A priest’s marriage is to the church. That’s a good desire that’s planted in us by God. The real question is how, how is this lived most joyfully in me,” Hayes said. “I do think that not everybody has the same path. To be able to look at all of these different ways of life and to see people living them out joyfully is an invitation to consider a little bit more deeply what those things mean.”

That’s perfectly fine, but when Hayes talks about her goal of convincing more girls to marry Jesus, she’s probably going to want a more convincing argument than the pure joy of perpetual abstinence:

“I think, especially with the young women I’ve worked with in my teaching so far, the religious life isn’t something that many of them consider because we don’t have women religious teaching with us in our schools like we used to years ago. So, many of them don’t consider that as an option anymore because they don’t see young women their own age considering it and joining it. That’s really something I try to expose my female students a little bit more to,” Hayes said.

It’s hard to imagine many American teenagers finding this option appealing.

Fort Wayne woman marries God | WANE

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