Bride of Christ

Bismarck resident Jacinta Evinger has joined the ranks of a small group of women who live out their vocation as consecrated virgins. She was bestowed this rite as a bride of Christ for the Bismarck Diocese on Feb. 22 at the Church of Saint Anne in Bismarck.

The Mass of the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity is celebrated publicly to demonstrate the beauty and the mystery of this ancient ceremony.

Evinger is one of five women within the diocese who have chosen to live this vocation. Others are: Teresa Gross of Bismarck who was consecrated on Feb. 12, 2006; Michele Schwab of Mandan on May 4, 2008; Barbara Boschert of Minot on Dec. 12, 2014; and Julie Jacobson of Bismarck on Aug. 22, 2016.

At an early age, learning of the joy of the saints and martyrs of the early Church, Jacinta desired to give her life to the Lord as they did.

“Like every woman, I also had the desire to marry,” Jacinta said. “After leaving home I was in the world working for a time and then as a religious sister for three and a half years and then back in the world again for the past seven years.

“Through these years, I came to realize how much the world needs people in their everyday life to support them where they are at in their life and to share the message of God’s love and mercy for each of us so that we all can have a relationship with God. Seeing the thirst for God in people of all ages, I knew He was choosing me as His bride to share His merciful love with the world which I could not do fully to the extent He wanted of me if I was married with a family.”

A bit of history

The rite of consecration is an ancient Catholic ceremony dating back to the 4th century, but many know little about it. According to the Code of Canon Law, “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.”

The rite was restored with Vatican II; and the beauty of this unique vocation is slowly becoming more well-known. It is important to understand that a consecrated virgin is not a sort of religious sister, but instead is a consecrated person living in the world, who has the bishop as her guide. While they don’t live in community, canon law further states that, “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.”

The consecrated virgins of our diocese have a special responsibility to pray for the Diocese of Bismarck, the bishop and our clergy. They serve the Church through these prayers and through their good works.

Daily life

Canon law notes that the state of the consecrated virgin is neither clerical nor lay. They have regular jobs to support themselves. They have rich prayer lives which is the foundation of their special way of life.

Their prayer life consists of a portion of the Liturgy of the Hours, daily Mass, meditation on the Scriptures, and Eucharistic adoration. In addition to prayer, the vow of chastity embraced for the sake of the kingdom of heaven allows for an “undivided heart.”

Jacinta explained, “In the busyness of my daily workday, I try, at each moment to be attentive to and live out what the Lord might be asking of me in that moment. I also incorporate into my day, prayers for Pope Francis, Bishop Kagan, the priests and religious in the diocese and in the world and each of the faithful in the diocese especially those who I encounter daily. My day also consists of daily Mass and the Holy Eucharist, a portion of the Liturgy of the Hours, Lectio Divina, a rosary and a time of adoration.”

In imitation of Mary

The life of a consecrated virgin closely imitates the life of Mary, the Mother of God. Mary was a virgin living in the world, serving Jesus through her normal daily activities and praying for those around her each day.

Jacinta feels drawn to live out the gospel messages: “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14), and “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

“I volunteer my time with children through faith formation, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, youth groups and children’s adoration. I am also open to sharing God’s love with any person whom God puts in front of me daily—whether it is at church, work, a restaurant, a grocery store or on the street,” Jacinta said.