Support the Vocation of Consecrated Virginity in Women Today

Dear friends in Christ,

Peace!

My name is Sarah Rocko and I have been accepted into formation to become a consecrated virgin in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. This vocation in the Catholic Church was the first established consecrated vocation for women who sensed and desired a call to give their entire lives to Christ as a response to His great love for them. In fact, the original text of the Rite of Consecration has been attributed to Saint Matthew the Apostle.

Over the centuries, this beautiful vocation of “consecrated virginity lived in the world” (its official name) became less prevalent as orders of religious sisters were founded and grew. Here in 2024, the vocation is experiencing a revival as hundreds of women around the world are discovering it and inquiring about it in their dioceses.

In my own vocational discernment journey, I did not learn about consecrated virginity until fall of 2021 when a religious sister introduced it to me. As I came to understand that this vocation is to be a bride of Christ in the world, I realized that this was the vocation with which the beat of my own heart and soul resonated.

Over the course of my discernment, I scoured the Internet to find anything I could to learn more about this beautiful vocation and to meet women living it. Many other discerning women I know have done the same. While the resources are growing, I noticed that this vocation would benefit from an international website providing valuable information about it and sharing profiles of consecrated virgins living it.

Like many other instances in my life, God called me out in my lamenting and simply asked, “why don’t you do something about it, Sarah?” At the encouragement of some trusted faith figures in my life and the persistent voice of the Holy Spirit, I applied for the GIVEN Catholic Women’s Leadership Institute with an “action plan” to create a website solely dedicated to providing valuable information about the vocation of consecrated virginity. GIVEN’s year-long program occurs every two years and equips over 150 women ages 21-35 to “receive the gift they are, realize the gifts they’ve been given, and respond with the gift that only they can give.” We who were accepted into the program attended a forum at the Catholic University of America in June, were paired with wonderful mentors a few weeks later, and are now diligently working to launch our action plans by May of 2025.

As I prayed more, Jesus reminded me that this project is ultimately His and I’m simply an instrument in His hands to bring it to fruition. I honestly have had doubts about creating this website and fundraising for it. However, I am confident that it has been the voice of Our Lord leading me in this work through the continued affirmations I am receiving in prayer and from others.

In an effort to answer this call, I want to build this website. I have had meetings with multiple website designers and decided on one named MK Design Studio. The design of her aesthetic is feminine, modern, and bold – which I believe perfectly reflects the essence of the vocation of consecrated virginity. You can see examples of MK Design’s websites here!

The goal of this fundraiser is to raise $5,000 by the end of 2024 to cover the cost of the custom website ($3,500), search engine optimization “SEO” consulting ($700), and website maintenance ($800).

As you are reflecting on where you want to donate to causes that are meaningful to you here at the end of the year, I hope that you will prayerfully consider contributing to this website project.

No gift is too big or small and every dollar is needed to reach women who Jesus the Divine Bridegroom is calling to be His brides in this vocation.

Thank you for your support and may God bless you!

Sarah