As a single person, you’re not vowed to someone or something else, which means you are free to commit yourself to serve God and the Church. We all have times in our life when we’re single, but some people commit the whole of their lives to be single as a heroic gesture of love for God and the Church.

Living the Single Vocation

Single life, for most people, is a time when you haven’t made a formal commitment to a particular vocation (i.e. ordination, religious life or marriage). This is a crucial time for discernment, personal development and self-understanding. This is also a time of serving God, the Church and others without other commitments to a spouse, family, parish or religious community.

Single life for some is a permanent state of life. It’s essential to recognise that this is a legitimate way of living and serving in the world. Out of love for God and his people, some have been called to dedicate their whole lives entirely to the Lord without wanting to join a religious community. So if they feel called, they can make private or public vows and promise to live in a permanent state of celibacy. Others may feel called to other vocations, such as the priesthood, married or consecrated life, but have found themselves unable to fulfil that particular vocation through circumstances or difficulties and therefore have committed instead to live a single chaste life.