Consecration facts for kids
Consecration is a special ceremony, usually a religious one. It means setting someone or something apart for a special, holy purpose. For example, when a new church building is finished, there's often a consecration ceremony to open it.
In many religions, when a person becomes a minister or religious leader, this process is called ordination. This means they are consecrated for their role. The word for the action is to consecrate, and something that has been set apart is consecrated.
- A word that means something similar to consecration is sanctification. To sanctify means to make something holy.
- The opposite of consecration is desecration. To desecrate means to treat something holy with disrespect or damage it. For example, smashing holy items in a church would be desecration.
In the Catholic Church, consecration means dedicating people or objects to serve God. When a new bishop is chosen, their special ceremony is also called a consecration. The lives of people who join religious groups, like monks and nuns, are also known as "Consecrated Life."
Women in Religious Leadership
In some Christian churches, like the Catholic Church and Orthodox churches, only men can become priests. However, many Protestant churches, including the Church of England, allow women to become leaders and ministers.
Some Protestant groups, like the Southern Baptist Convention, have more conservative and traditional views. They believe that leadership roles in the church should be held only by men.
Images for kids
-
The consecration of Saint Genevieve (1821) in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.
See also
In Spanish: Consagración (ceremonia) para niños