Married to the Lord
A woman’s faith journey leads her to consecrated virginity
By Scott Alessi
Staff Writer
MONMOUTH JUNCTION — Helen A. Qua walked into St. Cecilia Church dressed in white, ready to profess her vow of love to the most important person in her life. The ceremony that followed, however, was a very unique wedding.
Qua was consecrated by Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski Feb. 10 into the Order of Virgins, one of the oldest forms of consecration in the church. Women belonging to the order make a promise of perpetual virginity, prayer and service to the church while living independently in society.
The bishop congratulated Qua for her willingness to follow God’s call to take a less traveled path and for being an inspiration to the faith lives of those around her. “This is an example to all of us,” said Bishop Bootkoski. “It bolsters our faith, our commitment and our reality.”
After growing up in the Philippines, Qua became a parishioner of St. Cecilia upon moving to South Brunswick in 1991. She contemplated a religious vocation and spent four years in formation with the Auxiliaries of Our Lady of the Cenacle but had second thoughts before taking her vows.
“The Lord works in mysterious ways, because he let me struggle in my spiritual journey,” said Qua. She decided to leave the Cenacle auxiliary without knowing yet what her true calling would be. When a friend told her about the Order of Virgins, Qua contacted the diocese to find out more information.
“I knew it was what I was searching for,” Qua said. “I found the freedom that I hungered for to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and I knew this was it from that very first meeting.”
A series of coincidences only helped to reassure Qua that she was making the correct choice. She was sent to an informational meeting about the order that was held at the Cenacle Retreat and Conference Center in Chicago, where she was put at ease the familiar faces of many Cenacle Sisters.
She then met with Benedictine Father Elias Lorenzo, Vicar for Religious, with whom she shared another special connection. Qua had attended a Benedictine high school in the Philippines, one that Father Lorenzo had recently visited. “It is really a small world,” Qua said. “The Lord put in my path the people at that time that I needed to journey to this day and forward.”
Qua was welcomed into the order by Catherine Leahy, who was consecrated a virgin 14 years ago. Leahy said she was encouraged to see another woman in the diocese choose the path of perpetual virginity and to find the same relationship with Christ that Leahy has experienced.
Leahy explained that the daily activities of the order’s members are not altered by their consecration, but they do experience a spiritual renewal. “The change is the grace of the consecration, knowing that something has changed in your spirit,” Leahy said. “It confirms in a very tangible way what you thought and believed in your heart and makes it real.”
Qua was overcome with joy following the consecration and felt humbled by the gift she received from God. “A creature being the bride of the creator — I am not worthy,” said Qua. “I praise God for this gift. He is the center of my life.”
Qua now seeks a more contemplative prayer life while growing in service to the church. She hopes to share the love of God that she has experienced with others and to let her journey inspire those around her. “It all just unfolded the way God wanted it to be,” she said. “I just put my life in God’s hands and let the Holy Spirit lead me wherever he wants me to go.”
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law