Virgin theology teacher marries Jesus Christ in a festive wedding ceremony in Indiana

A woman from Indiana has married Jesus Christ at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne. 38-year-old theology teacher Jessica Hayes joins the list of women who vowed to never have sex or be married before the church.

The ceremony came with a festive celebration attended by hundreds of people, most of whom were strangers, News.com.au writes. The ritual was presided by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades. Hayes is what the Catholic faith calls a consecrated virgin. This is different from being a nun because the women are allowed to live out their religious commitment outside of the convent. They also do not take vows of obedience and poverty, nor are they obliged to perform any church work unless they volunteer. But, she does have a ring.

In the U.S., there exists a group called the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins (USACV), which named the Blessed Virgin Mary and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who was canonized in 2012, as patronesses. Hayes will continue to live independently and will provide for her own material needs. The church will not be financially responsible for her.

"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," Hayes told WANE.com .

She also expressed happiness over the crowd turnout because there may be others with the same calling who might be convinced to step up. She is the first consecrated virgin at the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese in 25 years. There are roughly 3,000 consecrated virgins in the world and over 200 are located in the U.S.

"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," Hayes added in the WANE.com report.

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Woman: I'm married to Jesus

Source: YouTube/CNN News