The Deacon's Bench
From the Diocese of Orlando website:
Marianne Cano walked down the aisle of St. James Cathedral in Orlando dressed in a long white gown and filled with irrepressible joy. The day she awaited and prepared for since her youth, to become a “bride of Christ”, was here. Surrounded by family and guests from as far away as Dominican Republic, she was consecrated to a life of virginity. Cano, who attends Ascension Parish in Melbourne, is the first woman to become a publicly professed consecrated virgin in the Diocese of Orlando. The rite dates back to the apostolic era and was revived after Vatican II.
Pursuing this path for more than 20 years, Cano began private formation with a spiritual director in 2013 after learning of the Rite of Solemn Consecration to a Life of Virginity. After petitioning Bishop John Noonan, Cano entered her final phase of formation with Sister of Saint Joseph, Kathleen Power in January 2018. “The restoration of this ancient Rite in the church impacts each one of us as laity, priests, deacons, consecrated religious, and widows,” said Sister Power. “This wonderful consecrated virgin stands as an icon of all of us in the Church publicly… It is another way to consecrate yourself to Christ in the world as laity. Having the chance to participate in Marianne’s formation has enlightened me and brought me great joy!”
Cano’s mother, Marta Menendez Cano, said her daughter has “been a consecrated person on her own since she was a teenager… daily Mass would not be missed by her, no matter what was going on in her life.” She added, “Marianne has been with the Lord all her life. This is her wish coming true. She has officially found what she did not know existed.”
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