This page is an index to articles and information on the single life
and single vocation available on this website and others. The need for
this became evident when looking at the frequency with which visitors
came to the site looking for information on the single life, the
purpose of the single vocation, sexuality and the single life, and
related topics.
Is the single life a vocation? - the distinction we have to make between being single by chance, and by choice--or by accepting God's will for us. Includes the relevant articles from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Why not marrying may seem selfish - reflections on why it seems to some people that there is no vocation to the single life. Written partly in response to this article arguing against the idea of a "single vocation"
Pope John Paul II on Vocation - This does not directly address the single state or vocation to the single life, but it lays the foundation for understanding it, namely love as the underlying principle for all vocations and states of life.
The superiority of the single life - why, when embraced as a means of whole-hearted dedication to God and neighbor, the single state is preferable to marriage
Celibacy as a means to perfection, the eighth chapter of On the Perfection of the Spiritual Life by St. Thomas Aquinas
Gregory the Great on the unmarried and self-control - thought not the highest reason, a classical reason given for marriage is that it is a help to support one's weakness.
Is marriage for the weak? - How are we to understand the sayings of St. Paul and the Fathers on marriage as a "remedy for weakness?"
The World Wide Web’s narrow view on vocation - an article arguing for a broader understanding of vocation - which in a certain sense is more relevant to single persons. (Archive at archive.is)
Being single: the joys and challenges of living as a Christian single person - thoughts by Fr. Pat Umberger on life as a single person. (Hosted on this site while Fr. Pat's site is down).
Being Single, Being Church (N.B., 4 Megabyte PDF), by Martin J. Rose - A Master's Thesis in Philosophy for Griffith University, Brisbane.
Is there a vocation to the single life? an article by Therese Ivers. (Site requires signup, and some content on the site is available only to paying members)
www.pathsoflove.com