Single for a Greater Purpose: A Hidden Joy in the Catholic Church

In these fascinating pages, author Luanne Zurlo shows that, contrary to popular opinion, single life is often a holy, joyful vocation lived out, sometimes in a hidden way, by souls who have had an authentic encounter with Christ.

Here she sheds light on this little-understood vocation discerned and embraced by a growing number of single persons who neither marry nor enter religious life.

These souls are joyfully single for a greater purpose, nourishing both the world and the Church with the unique spiritual strengths and graces that God gives to souls who deliberately remain single for Him -- in the world but not of it.

Read these pages to learn:

• Why dedicated single life is uniquely suited to our times
• How it builds on our baptismal vocations
• The special role that dedicated singles have in the Church
• How the dedicated-single vocation complements marriage and religious life
• How celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom yields a fruitful spousal relationship with Christ
• How dedicated singles can follow the evangelical counsels of obedience and poverty without the structured life of a religious community
• The vows that singles can take to dedicate themselves to such service of God within the world

In the face of mounting difficulties within our world and our Church, God is now calling for an army of dedicated singles -- laymen for the Kingdom of God -- nourished from within and empowered by an authentic, personal encounter with Him alone.

Luanne D. Zurlo is Executive Director of the Brilla public charter school network and voluntary afterschool Catholic faith formation program in the South Bronx. Prior to joining Seton Education Partners in January 2018, Luanne taught finance, Catholic Social Doctrine and educational reform in developing countries at The Catholic University of America (CUA). Luanne spent much of her early career working with Latin America as a ranked Wall Street equity analyst. After experiencing 9/11 firsthand, Luanne left Goldman Sachs and founded a not-for-profit organization, Educando, whose mission is to raise educational quality in Latin America, with a special focus on Brazil and Mexico.