A doctor and a biologist in Spain embrace life as consecrated virgins

In a special rite, the women embraced a life of consecrated virginity for the sake of Christ and service to his Church.

The bishop of Getafe in Spain, Ginés García Beltrán, performed the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity for Christ for two women: Ana Isabel García, a biologist, and Estefanía Ibáñez, a physician, for service to the Church and in a constant missionary spirit.

The ceremony took place on Sept. 6 at Nativity of Our Lady Church in the town of San Martín de la Vega.

During the homily, the bishop emphasized the spousal nature of the consecration: “This is a wedding; it is a marriage in the fullest sense of the word. It is a betrothal to Christ, to whom you give yourselves in faithfulness, giving yourselves forever.”

He explained that “the Bridegroom invites you to become beautiful, immaculate, and holy,” not only through personal commitment to Christ but also through a strong sense of mission: “You are born into the Church and born for the service of the Church,” specifically within the diocese and with the bishop as the virgin’s spiritual father in the consecrated life.

‘For a Christian, everything is mission’

Regarding this commitment, the bishop emphasized that it does not imply a withdrawal into the confines of the Christian community; rather, it represents a readiness “for whatever the Church needs of you, whether in your parish, in this diocese, or wherever the Lord calls you” to be fruitful, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

The prelate explained that the fruitfulness of the virginal vocation is born of love and opens itself to service: “Love is never selfish; therefore, love is never for oneself, but rather love is for others.”

For this reason, he urged the newly consecrated women to recognize the importance of discovering the missionary dimension of their vocation in every aspect of their lives: “All your gestures, all your words, and your very presence are mission,” because “for a Christian, everything is mission.”

Given that the ceremony took place close to the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, the bishop of Getafe encouraged the women to look to her as “the reference point, the image, and the icon of all virginity, a virginity in faith, a virginity in hope, and a virginity in love.”

‘I used to cry because my friends had boyfriends and I didn’t’

Ana Isabel García and Ibáñez traveled a long spiritual journey leading up to their consecration. The former admitted that for years she believed her path in life was marriage, an experience she went through with a sense of unease: “I used to cry because my friends had boyfriends and I didn’t.” However, a personal encounter with the Lord changed her outlook on life. It initiated a process of discernment and formation spanning about five years of particular intensity, during which she was guided by numerous priests.

Ibáñez felt a strong calling from the time she was an adolescent. Coming from a Catholic family, at the age of 13, “a very strong desire for him” ​​was awakened within her, one that “has marked my life,” she said. It was not until she began her university studies that she once again strongly felt the pull toward total self-giving to Christ.

In 2022, she came across the Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago Instruction on the Ordo Virginum issued by the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and recognized her vocation within its pages, having already explored other forms of consecrated life.

In the days before her consecration, García said she hoped the event would serve “to make this vocation known,” while Ibáñez wished for “a moment in which God makes himself present to everyone there, revealing his presence and companionship in their lives.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.