It's unusual these days to find a Catholic woman so devout, she is prepared to remain celibate and forego marriage and the joy of motherhood. And that's why when American Jessica Hayes married Jesus Christ on the weekend, it made headlines around the world.
Jessica teaches theology at Bishop Twenger High School in Fort Wayne and decided to become a 'consecrated virgin' after years of prayer and soul-searching.
She joined the elite group who live chaste lives, not in a convent, but in the outside world, and dedicate their lives to the service of the church.
She will never be able to get married or have sex for the rest of her life and will continue to live her normal life at home.
The practice was revived by Pope VI in 1970. There are currently 3,500 consecrated virgins worldwide and around 230 in the US.
To become a consecrated virgin, you must be a mature woman
who has never had sex, although no physical examination is carried out to prove it.
Widows or women who have lived with a sexual partner cannot become a consecrated virgin but women who have been victims of sexual abuse are eligible, since victimhood is not considered a violation of chastity or a sin.
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