Are Consecrated virgins Called to Lead Solitary or Communitarian Life ?

Is like asking, “Is the Church called to  lead Solitary or Communitarian Life ?”

Church began as a community, has always been a  communion of the baptized. The early Christians were strongly linked with Christ and with each other in faith and love. Their life-style was a model of  community. They were recognized as Christians by their love. A New commandment  was given to them by Jesus  and also to us: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

I  often feel that consecrated virgins around the world seem to interpret their vocation in strictly individualistic terms  which seems to be an antithesis of the identity of the Church as  Communion. What could be the reasons for this ?

A] In the Roman Pontifical there  are two versions of the Rite of Consecration to a life of Virginity. One for women living  the monastic life and the other for women not living the monastic life [viz. living in the world].

Too often, the  life-style of consecrated virgins  in accordance with canon #604 is interpreted in  contrast to monastic life.  This attitude is leading to an understanding of consecrated virgins in monasteries and those not living in monasteries, as being at the two opposite ends of  a spectrum.

e.g [1]  Because  consecrated virgins according to canon #604  do not live in monasteries, they are understood to be called to live ‘strictly’ in the world.  This  however  leads to a movement  away from the call to be ‘in the world’ but not ‘of the world.’ It also leads to confusion between the vocation of consecrated virginity  and the vocation of  members of  secular institutes  [who are called to transform the world from within by acting as a leaven within the cultural, economic, and political life - ref .

http://www.secularinstitutes.org/index.htm].

e.g [2]  Because consecrated virgins according to canon # 604 do not live a 'religious' structured community life in monasteries, this is interpreted as a call to  an Individualistic spirituality and living. This leads to confusion between  consecrated virgins and  hermits [who are called to bear witness to the passing nature of the present age by their inward and outward separation from the world, 'living in the desert.' ref.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermit#Canon_603].

The 'identity'  of the vocation  of consecrated virgins  is interpreted  so much in relational terms to other vocations that  its own charism seems to  be lost.

The Church is Bride of Christ as a  community, but a consecrated virgin is an individual and still bride of Christ.  Maybe this is because the Communion of the Holy Trinity possesses her. She is not an  'isolated' individual after the consecration – due to this participation in the mystery of the Trinity. She is a member of the family of the Trinity – so she is in comm-unity with God.

However, she is linked to the diocese  which becomes her primary community. She lives a diocesan spirituality,  which should be integrated with her life,  whether she lives or serves in the Church at the level of the  small christian community, parish, diocese, or at the universal level.

Although her primary community  is the local church community, this should not exclude the  possibility of a   bond between  consecrated virgins  themselves in the same or different dioceses. If  Jesus loved  His Bride and gave  His life for her  - and calls  Christians to love  one another as He has loved  us,   shouldn’t this be interpreted as a mandate  that one consecrated virgin should love another consecrated virgin  who is also a bride of Christ, as a friend ? Greater love  has no person than to lay down one’s life for  a friend.  I think Jesus has this expectation from consecrated virgins called to follow Him radically.

A CONSECRATED VIRGIN IS CALLED TO MANIFEST THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH WHO IS ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC, AS MUCH AS THE IDENTITY OF THE CHURCH AS BRIDE OF CHRIST, PEOPLE OF GOD, BODY OF CHRIST, EUCHARISTIC - COMMUNITY OF GOD.