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Richmond Woman Takes Vows as Consecrated Virgin
By Steve Neill
The Catholic Virginian, June 2, 2008 edition
Ms. Bernadette Snyder took her vows in the Order of Consecrated Virgins
May 25, 2008 - St. Michael's Catholic Church, Glen Allen, Virginia
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In what was a first in the Diocese of Richmond, Bernadette Snyder, a member of
St. Michael parish in Glen Allen, has made perpetual vows in the Order of
Consecrated Virgins.
Ms. Snyder, who is research analyst in the diocesan Office of Pastoral
Planning, made the vows before Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo at the 11 a.m. Mass
May 25 at St. Michael’s. The rite is called Consecration to a Life of Virginity
of Women Living in the World.
In an interview with The Catholic Virginian Ms. Snyder explained the
significance of the step she was taking. She emphasized that she was making
perpetual vows which are ever-lasting. |
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“Consecrated virgins are
essentially women who live in the world, but devote time they would otherwise
spend with a husband and children to prayer, ministry and outreach,” she said.
During the consecration ceremony in which she knelt before Bishop DiLorenzo,
Ms. Snyder received a ring which symbolizes that she is a bride of Christ. The
ring, worn on the third finger of the left hand, is a gold band designed with
the crown of thorns.
Ms. Snyder acknowledged that
the step she is taking is a sacrifice, but one she embraces.
“It’s absolutely a sacrifice,” she said. “I see marriage as a beautiful
vocation in itself.
“I realize it is a sacrifice to take vows of consecrated virginity,” she
continued. “That is why I chose the crown of thorns to be mindful of the
sacrifice Christ made for me and I made for Him.” |
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She recalls a quote she once heard that she feels describes perfectly why she
has chosen the path she has taken to accept God’s call.
The quote: “When you get
married, you choose to love God through one person. When you remain celibate,
you choose to love God through all people.”
“That made it an easy choice for me,” Ms. Snyder told The Catholic Virginian.
“I see God differently in every person I meet and I love him in each of them. I
could never narrow him down to one person.”
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Ms. Snyder hopes her decision to make her vows in a rite within the Sunday
liturgy of the Feast of Corpus Christi will be educational and informative to
those present. She realizes that few have heard of the Order of Consecrated
Virgins.
“There is a grace involved in the sacramental,” she said. “I think it’s
important for women to see this as a viable option. There’s not just the married
life or the convent.”
It is not a decision she has made lightly.
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“In high school I was a normal teenager,” Ms. Snyder, age 29, said. “I can now
see looking back that I was falling in love with Christ more and more and now I
just want to give Him all of me.”
She said she had considered the religious life since the 8th grade.
“I contacted different convents for information on their orders, but nothing
really clicked,” she said.
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She first learned of the Order of Consecrated Virgins when she served as a
chaperone for the St. Ann’s youth group who went to Ascension parish in Virginia
Beach to learn about a youth mission trip.
“I wasn’t even going on the mission trip,” Ms. Snyder said. “I was just there
as a chaperone for the youth.”
It was at this gathering that she heard a woman give a witness talk of her life
as a consecrated virgin.
“That’s when I knew that this was the path for me,” she said. “It was six
months later that I took my personal vows in prayer.”
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She initially spoke of her desire to become a consecrated virgin with Msgr.
Robert Perkins, who was then her pastor at St. Ann’s, Colonial Heights. He
suggested that she speak with Father Michael Renninger, director of the Office
of Vocations. He in turn suggested that she find a spiritual director to guide
her.
Her parents are supportive of her vocation, she says, adding that this is
also true of her brother and his wife and her sister.
“I also have a very strong support group at my parish,” Ms. Snyder said.
Father Patrick Golden, rector of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and Ms.
Snyder’s spiritual adviser, said her public witness might encourage other women
that consecrated virginity is an option.
“I think it’s just a great witness because virginity is often mocked or made fun
of in our society,” he said.
“Intimacy doesn’t have to always have a physical dimension.”
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