“I can’t breathe if I don’t follow this path”: Alejandra, the first consecrated virgin of Salta

Alejandra Quintana is 45 years old, lives in Salta (Argentina) and is a physical education teacher. However, from a young age, his heart pursued a major yearning: to be of Christ.

In April of this year, his face circulated through local media, becoming the first consecrated virgin of his province.

Comments on social networks soon arrived, many from ignorance. It is that, although it is a very old consecrated way of life, it is not as well known as the priestly or religious life.

In dialogue with ACI Press, she explains it like this: “I am a safe woman who decides to follow Christ at the service of the Church. Through this purpose and consequent prayer I become a sacred person, the wife of Christ. I am like the wife of Christ, spiritually speaking.”

Alejandra does not belong to a religious congregation. He does not live in community or use habit. He lives in his home, works as a teacher at a public school and pray every day for the Church. His consecration was a public act before the Bishop, through which he assumed to live in perpetual virginity for the love of Christ.

“The consecrated virgins do not vote. We make a purpose. In my consecration I said: Father, I receive my purpose of perfect chastity, my determination to follow Christ.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “since apostolic times”, the Lord calls the virgins “to consecrate him entirely with a greater freedom of heart, body and spirit.”

Therefore, these women make “the decision, approved by the Church, to live in a state of virginity or perpetual chastity ‘because of the kingdom of heaven'”.

“Formulating the holy purpose of following Christ more closely, virgins are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite, they celebrate mystical marries with Jesus Christ, Son of God, and surrender to the service of the Church,” says the catechism in numeral 923. These women can live alone or in community.

“I felt that I had to pray for the priests”

His story of faith began in Cerrillos, his hometown, 12 kilometers south of the city of Salta. There he grew up in a Catholic family, in which they shared the Mass every Sunday.

“The rosary prayed every day. He had an aunt who lived with us, Evelia. With her I learned to pray it. For her I am very devout of the Virgen del Carmen, and I consecrated Maria at age 15,” on July 16, 1995, he recalls.

Two years later, he read the book History of a soulof Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús, and experienced an inner movement: “I felt that my call was to pray for the priests. And since that day I pray for each priest.”

Two options to serve God

At that time, Alejandra thought that the only way of consecrated life was the convent. But when his mother became ill, he had to make a decision: “I had to choose between my mother’s health and go to a convent. And I chose to keep my mother to take care of her, because I felt that God was also there, serving him in my mother.”

At 27, he consecrated himself privately, without knowing that a short time later, after the death of his mother and grandmother, a new stage would begin in his life.

The “Cinderella Zapatito”

The years passed, and in 2018, during some Ignatian exercises, Alejandra felt again that God continued to call her: “I felt that the Lord asked me for one more step: being fruitful. But not having a child. It was something stronger.”

Trying to respond to that call, he sought communities, charisms, groups of consecrated lay people, but “no coincided … like the Cinderella shoe,” he says. Thus, investigating on the Internet, he found the consecrated virgins and “the shoe click,” he says.

“You continued walking”: the long road to consecration

After a training stage, it was time to approach to speak with the archbishop of Salta, Mons. Mario Cargnello, which for her, which grew in a very clericalist environment, was “too much“(Too much). However,” one day I was there, talking to him. “

From that first talk to his consecration, Alejandra had to wait six years. “According to my formation, I was already ready, but the diocese was not prepared. You had to pave the way,” he explains.

During that time, he continued his formation, spiritual direction and even performed a psychodiagnosis, as well as the seminarians before becoming priests, because it is a decision with a lot of weight: “It is not that today I consecrate myself and tomorrow I see if I like it. It is a path that I choose today forever,” he summarizes.

“May He who sees me see Christ”

Alejandra emphasizes that the call of a consecrated virgin is not reflected so much in the action, but that her vocation has to do with “being a sign.”

“It is not that we are going to be the ministers or those in charge of the celebration. We are called to ensure each Christian, to pray for every Christian, being a sign. That he who looks at me does not see me, but Christ,” he repeats with conviction. “That I decrease, as Pablo said, so that you grow up,” he synthesizes.

One day in the life of a consecrated virgin

“The day begins after my prayer ends. I do not leave my house without praying, without making my readingmis praise. If I don’t start feeding on him, the day makes no sense, ”he says.

In addition to personal prayer, he assists Mass daily, says the rosary and goes to some spiritual reading. His favorite biblical verse is: “come to me those who are tired and overwhelmed, which I will relieve them.” And his guide, a phrase from Santa Teresa de Ávila: “only God is enough.”

Among the day -to -day challenges, he points out that “the main obstacle is the pedestal in which people put you. I always ask: ‘Bájenme, how high I’m going to get dizzy.”

On the other hand, the requirement of always being available: “I can’t be 24/7 for everyone. I also need to be with my husband. If I don’t feed him, I can’t make Christ grow in me,” he says.

A advice to young people: “Let God speak to you”

To those who feel restlessness for a deeper delivery, Alejandra shares a personal reflection: “Sometimes I think we spend our lives looking for, when God is there, next to us. We simply have to make silence and let that find us. God find us.”

“Talk to God, but also listen to it. Sometimes we talk a lot and we don’t listen to anything. We are very children for that,” he acknowledges. “We have to shut up and let God speak. He will tell us the way.”

“I can’t breathe if I don’t follow this path”

In his own experience, Alejandra was also afraid. But “when I thought about other possibilities, other ways of living and being with Christ, I lacked the air.”

That gave him the certainty I needed: “I can’t breathe if I don’t follow this path. Where despite the difficulties, you keep breathing, it is the way you will find peace.”