A 38-year-old devout lover of God finally decided to marry Jesus Christ after several years of soul searching .
Jessica Hayes, a theology teacher at Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne, was wedded to the son of God in a festive ceremony at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Saturday, August 15, 2015 according to WANE.com.
Although the wedding was different from what she’d imagined as a little girl, the consecrated virgin still went through the big question most brides are faced with regarding what to wear on the D-day.
The highly elated Jesus’ bride said: “I’ve seen so many wedding dresses over the years that I think I’ve probably changed my mind very many times. I had to really consider the appropriateness of the occasion for my dress. .
“I wanted my shoulders to be covered, and I would have to lie prostrate before the altar, so I really wanted to make sure that I was well-covered in a way that still shows the beauty of a bride.”
Hayes is one of 230 consecrated virgins in the United States and 3000 around the world, who have chosen to remain celibate for their entire lives.
Hayes hopes that the marriage to Jesus would not change her everyday life as she immediately made it clear that she won’t be taking her husband’s name.
She said: “My students asked if they should call me Mrs Hayes when I come back to school next week, and no, I’m still Ms. But I am married to Jesus.
“I had been praying about it for years, trying to seek God’s will for my life and not really finding it in any of the paths that I sought before. It was really a consideration of which things brought me the most joy and where my greatest happiness was.
“It seemed that all of those loves converged on this one thing where I could still be living in the world and be a part of the lives of my students and be studying and teaching and involved in a parish life, but I could also give myself more completely by making this total commitment of my life to serve the church in whatever capacity is needed and whatever capacity my own gifts are available for.
“I think that in some sense, we’re all called to be married. It’s just a matter of discerning how. So, my marriage is to Christ and someone else’s marriage is to their spouse. A priest’s marriage is to the church. That’s a good desire that’s planted in us by God. The real question is how, how is this lived most joyfully in me.
“I do think that not everybody has the same path. To be able to look at all of these different ways of life and to see people living them out joyfully is an invitation to consider a little bit more deeply what those things mean. As Catholics and as Christians, we’re all called to that loving relationship with our God.
“So, I’m called to live it out in this way. Married couples are called to live that out in their married vocation and their love of their family. It’s a way of life that really anticipates what all of us will live in heaven, that union with ourselves and Christ and a real knowing and loving of him. My path is choosing that closer following now because that’s where my greatest joys lie.”
“This is a vocation for women that feel that deeper call to spend their life more in knowing Jesus and making that a public commitment in serving his church, but are also called to live in the world.”
Check out the photos below. (Click on any image to enlarge).
Watch the video of the wedding ceremony below:
