Says newly Consecrated Virgin
By Kwesi
Yirenkyi Boateng
Martin Luther
King Jnr. once noted that “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible
than to be alive without breathing.” Indeed, for many Christians, prayer may
seem a usual practice, but for the newly Consecrated Virgin (CV) for the Accra
Archdiocese, Sr. Agatha Veronica Nah-Karley Thompson, prayer is her Office.
This means that her
foremost duty as a Consecrated Virgin, who shares a spousal relationship with
Christ, nourished by attentiveness to prayer, is to constantly pray for and
with the Church at all times.
The insignia of her consecration are a Veil, a Ring,
and the Book of the Liturgy of the Hours.
These were presented
to Sr. Veronica during the solemn liturgical celebration by the Most Rev.
Charles Palmer-Buckle, Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, at the Holy Spirit
Cathedral on September 8, 2010, the feast of the nativity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
It is the solemn
consecration that sets her apart as Sponsa
Christi (Spouse of Christ), a Consecrated Virgin in union with the Church, for
the rest of her life.
Srs. Genevieve, H.D.R.
and Maria Josefa Petilla, (a Consecrated Virgin) were Sr. Veronica’s attendants
at the Mass.
The Mass was
concelebrated with Very Rev. Frs. Francis Adoboli, and Andrew Campbell, S.V.D.,
Vicar General of the Accra Archdiocese and Episcopal Vicar for the Religious respectively,
as well as a 18 other Priests.
The Consecration
thus bestows on her the onus to work in collaborative ministries, as an Extraordinary
Minister of the Eucharist, Spiritual Director, organise prayer meetings, preside
over Sunday Liturgies in areas without a Priest, Teach and work in any place designated
by the Church, where her training and qualification fits in.
Sr. Veronica in an interview with The Catholic Standard Reporter Kwesi Yirenkyi Boateng, expressed
great joy and fulfilment in being a Consecrated Virgin, in service of the Lord.
The Order of
Virgins (ORDO VIRGINUM), according to
Canon 604.1, is an ancient form of consecrated life in the Church. “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.”
Pope Benedict
XVI teaches that “The Order of Virgins represents a particular form of
consecrated life which has ancient roots that go back to the beginning of
evangelical life when, in an unprecedented novelty, the hearts of certain women
began to open to a desire to give one’s entire being to God, which had its
first extraordinary fulfilment in the Virgin of Nazareth and her ‘Yes’”.
In the rite of
consecration, the virgin embraces the evangelical counsels of chastity,
poverty and obedience. The Order
of Virgins is an individual state of life lived in prayer and in service for
and of the Church.
Among some early
Consecrated Christian virgins were Ss. Agnes, Agatha, Lucy and Cecilia. The
rite of consecration existed well before various Institutes of Religious Life
and their related ceremonies of Profession of Vows.
Around the 6th Century,
the Rite of Consecration for women living in the world was discontinued, but
continued to be retained for Cloistered Nuns in Monasteries. The Rite is distinct from the Profession of
Vows.
The Fathers of Vatican
Council II, overwhelmingly, voted to restore the Rite for women living in the
world; thus paving way for its promulgation on May 31, 1970.
The life of a
Consecrated Virgin is a witness to Christ, which, Pope John Paul II, in his 1996
Apostolic Exhortation, Vita Consecrata,
described as “They constituting a special eschatological image of the heavenly
bride and of the life to come when the Church will at last fully live her love
for Christ, the bridegroom.”
Consecrated
virginity, which is irrevocable, is a distinct form of Evangelical life in the
Church; it is a vocation totally and completely on its own. While it is related
to other forms of consecrated life, it is not identical to any of them; nor is
it a stepping stone to these other forms of consecrated life. It is an
individual state of life with its own particular character.
Referring to
consecrated virgins, Pope John Paul II, who recognised the laity (married and
dedicated single), the ordained, and the consecrated life in the Church, noted
that it is a “source of joy to witness the new flowering of the ancient order
of virgins, known ever since apostolic times.”
Presently, there
are only two known CV’s in the country and both of them affirm bright prospects
for the Order of Consecrated Virgins in Ghana.
Consecration is performed
after the potential Candidate declares her intention to live as a consecrated virgin
to the Diocesan Bishop. She then undergoes a period of preparation determined
by the Bishop, and is usually guided during the preparatory period by the
Episcopal Vicar for the Religious, in the Diocese and a Spiritual Director, either
appointed by the Bishop or chosen by the Candidate.
After first
professing her propositum to
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle some two years ago, Sr. Veronica said Very Rev. Fr.
Andrew Campbell, S.V.D., the Episcopal Vicar for the Religious in the Accra
Archdiocese was very instrumental in her Spiritual preparation.
Born on 4th September,
1951, to Mr. Charles Q. Thompson, (the first Ghanaian Photo-Journalist to work at
the Ministry of Information) and Mrs. Edna Abigail Thompson (A House Wife and
an Entrepreneur), both deceased, Sr. Veronica is the fifth of nine Children.
Growing up in a
family with a strong Christian (some being Catholics and Anglicans) background,
and with a disciplined Mother, Sr. Veronica learned the Christian Values from
her home.
Although she did
not seem interested to enter the convent, even after many people had suggested that
she should, she says “for whatever reason, I had a strong feeling that there is
more to life than there seems to be, it is only that I did not feel called to
live in a convent, even though I always had a strong urge and desire to getting
a firm direction for an inner spiritual growth.
I knew I needed to be rooted.”
Sr. Veronica who is a Parishioner at the St. Thomas
More Parish, Achimota, is a member of the
Amalgamated group at the Parish.
Her hobbies
include listening to good classical and sacred music, reading good books, and singing
(before she lost her voice). She is a fine artist, who expresses her art
through several mediums including gardening.
She is currently
pursuing a Masters Programme in Pastoral Studies with the Catholic Theological
Union (CTU) in Chicago, USA, and holds a Professional Graduate Certificate in
Spiritual Formation from CTU and a Pontifical Certificate in Theology and Spirituality
from the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, Dublin, Ireland.
Most of her friends
who described her as being religious, confirmed her selfless role in the Parish
and her willingness to help people in need.
She urges young
virgins who want to serve the Lord closely to aspire to enter the Order of
Consecrated Virgins.
This
article appeared in the October 30, 2010, Edition of The Catholic Standard Weekly Newspaper
