"Married to God": Cosmo Publishes Huge Story on Consecrated Virgin

Who saw this one coming?!

Cosmo magazine – the women’s magazine known for promoting just about everything bad about the sexual revolution – published a long feature story on a consecrated virgin. Really.

The title is “I Am Happily Married to God — as a Consecrated Virgin” and the subtitle reads, “Yes, I’m celibate. No, I’m not a nun.”

“One August morning,” 35-year-old Carmen Briceno begins to tell her story, “I walked to the front of the church in my white gown, nervous and excited. Family and friends stood in the pews of Queen of Apostles in Alexandria, Virginia. They smiled and wiped tears. The bishop began the ceremony. I was getting married — not to a man but to Jesus.”

A little bit later she explains she was a “cradle Catholic,” but in a family that was more culturally Catholic than truly devout. “I didn’t have a deeply personal relationship with God in any sense. It wasn’t until later, as a young adult, when my faith became my own and I allowed God to change my life.”

She then tells the inspiring story of how she was challenged in her faith for the first time by a friend, how she was inspired by a World Youth Day experience, and then how she was called by Christ to be a consecrated virgin.

“I was attracted to becoming a consecrated virgin because of its beautiful, ancient roots,” she explains, “in the early church, women made private vows to belong fully to Christ and not marry. These were the early virgin martyrs like Agatha and Lucy, who were executed for not wanting to marry Roman citizens because they were already vowed to God. They lived in their families and dedicated themselves to works of mercy in their community. They loved the Lord so much they wanted to give all of themselves to Him.”

She makes it clear that her life isn’t just about sex (or the lack thereof), but is centered completely on Jesus. “My decision did not come lightly. I like to tell people, ‘I did not give up romantic relationships for an idea. I fell in love with a person, Jesus Christ.’ I understood the lifelong commitment this would mean, so I made sure I was confident this was God’s will for me.”

The whole story is great, so though we don’t normally recommend Cosmo, you can read the whole article here!

**The whole story is great, so though we don’t normally recommend Cosmo, you can read the whole article here!**