Exploring the Connotation of Virgin Among Female Saints
By Michaela Mulqueen
For so many extraordinary women in the Church, the first word associated with them is “virgin.”
Given the culture of today, however, many women see the word “virgin” and immediately shy away from these saints.
For countless women, remaining a virgin is an impossible standard to meet. Some have struggled with sexual sin. Others have had their virginity forcibly taken from them. Many are simply called to marriage. Whatever the reason may be, the title of Virgin is often particularly intimidating for women.
This is something Catholic men typically do not have to wrestle with. While many male saints remained virgins throughout their lives, they are not esteemed for their virginity as female saints are. Vocabulary-wise, there isn’t a title like virgin used to describe men. With the current emphasis on female saints’ virginities, women, especially those who struggle with lust, can often be discouraged from looking to these saints as examples. They look at all these women who lived extraordinary lives, who loved God so deeply as to consecrate themselves to Him, but they may be tempted to focus solely on the Virgin following their names. When men look to male saints for guidance, they seldom see any mention of virginity.
Moreover, we live in times when, regrettably, the word “virgin” carries a negative connotation for many. Too often it is utilized as an insult. Whether through media or a friend, young girls are exposed to this vernacular, and it affects how they view the very word. Inevitably, this can cause some to question why the female virgin saints are so prevalent in the Church. Why should they want to learn about a saint who is celebrated for being a virgin when society is claiming it is something to be ashamed of?
The title of Virgin, however, could not be further from negative––it is bestowed on many remarkable women, after all. Throughout the history of the Church, women have given their lives to God as consecrated virgins. Instead of taking an earthly man as their husband, these women were called to be Christ’s own brides through a spiritual marriage. They lived their lives in imitation of Christ’s own mother, the Blessed Virgin.
For context, it is important we also recognize the struggles our female predecessors endured. The saints were by no means immune to the plights that have plagued women for centuries. The majority of women were married off, whether they wished to be or not, and, unfortunately, marriages did not always result in a happy, healthy union between man and woman. Women were often expected to be obedient to their husbands without question. Consequently, they often had no voice within the Church or without.
Nevertheless, many women were called to glorify God through the gift of their very lives. By consecrating themselves to God instead of marrying, these women were able to fully dedicate themselves to carrying out his will.
Take St. Catherine of Siena for example––one of the four female Doctors of the Church. Born in 1343, Catherine did not wish to live her life in a convent, nor did she wish to marry, as her heart desired no other than Christ Himself. Her resolve on the matter never faltered despite her family’s insistent pleas that she marry. Catherine knew her only option was to take vows to become a consecrated lay woman. She recognized it was the only way she could fulfill all God desired of her.
Catherine lived during a time where female authority would have been largely unfamiliar to the wider population. Jean Gerson, a prominent figure in the Catholic Church around this time, wrote the following in his treatise De Examinatione Doctrinarum:
The female sex is forbidden on apostolic authority to teach in public… All women’s teaching, particularly formal teaching by word and by writing, is to be held suspect unless it has been diligently examined, and much more fully than man’s. The reason is clear: common law––and not any kind of common law, but that which comes from on high––forbids them. And why? Because they are easily seduced, and determined seducers; and because it is not proved that they are witnesses to divine grace.
Despite this rhetoric, Catherine is credited with convincing Pope Gregory XI to move his papacy back to Rome. This, along with her other accomplishments, extraordinary by even today’s standards, would have been impossible if she had not consecrated herself to God.
Women who would most greatly benefit from knowing saints like St. Catherine of Siena are often less inclined to learn about them due to the current emphasis on female saints’ virginities and the little explanation offered for the title itself; consequently, they never discover the beauty and strength found in such a life. As Catholics, we need to do a better job of teaching about the title of Virgin and its history. We need to reclaim the word from modern society as a descriptor that’s considered heroic instead of derogatory or shameful.
Reclaiming a word will not happen overnight, however. It takes time to change the connotation of anything, but especially a word thought to be derogatory. The question then becomes how do we help women to not be deterred by the word “virgin” and enable them to know these saints now? I believe this is done by first emphasizing the ways in which all modern women can relate to and emulate these saints—their courage, their charity, their perseverance—instead of immediately focusing on their virginity. After women have learned about these saints more holistically and have found ways in which they are able to relate to these saints, then the beauty and importance of how these women consecrated themselves to God can be explained. It is through a more robust sharing of the fullness of these saints’ lives that the first steps to reclaiming the title of Virgin are taken.
Furthermore, when telling of the virgin saints, we need to expound on the fact that every person has a different calling and path in their life. God has a unique way of showing His love to each and every one of us, and, conversely, we all have a unique way of showing our love for Him. Despite our differences, we all are called to love and learn from one another—the same can be said of the saints.
When I was younger I was obsessed with the heroines of books, the Katniss Everdeens of the world. Little did I know that the female saints are heroines in their own right. Many have stories to rival any fictional plot, and they certainly have the personalities to rival beloved characters. Up until recently, I never delved deep enough into their lives to recognize this. I myself was deterred from saints remembered as Virgins. I believed I couldn’t relate to them simply because we shared different callings in life. I could not have been further from the truth.
If people were to genuinely understand the title of Virgin, then they might be better able to recognize the incredible lives these saints lived. They might be able to more fully appreciate how exceptional the women themselves were, as well as the remarkable ways in which God was able to use them for His glory. With this knowledge, perhaps more women would strive to emulate these saints. Wouldn’t that be a great day for the Church! After all, there is no better person to emulate than someone who has successfully pursued holiness in their earthly life and now resides in the presence of God for all eternity.
