Philippine diocese consecrates woman to life of virginity
Cebu archbishop performs a rite that is becoming rarer as vocations decrease in the modern world
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma performs the rite of consecration on Ursulina Presbitero. (Photo supplied)
A woman in the Philippines has vowed to spend her life as a consecrated virgin, the oldest recognized form of consecrated life in the Catholic Church.
Ursulina Presbitero, from the central province of Cebu, promised to serve and dedicate herself to helping the Catholic Church’s mission in the presence of Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.
"Father, receive my resolution to follow Christ in a life of perfect chastity which, with God's help, I here profess before you and God's Holy People," Presbitero said in a solemn rite of consecration at the Archbishop’s Palace in Cebu City on Feb. 14.