After years of soul searching, a 38-year-old theology teacher has decided to wed the son of God.

AFTER years of soul searching, a 38-year-old theology teacher has decided to wed the son of God.

Jessica Hayes married Jesus Christ in a festive ceremony at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Saturday.

While it wasn’t the wedding day she’d imagined as a little girl, the consecrated virgin still grappled with the big question facing brides-to-be: what to wear.

“I’ve seen so many wedding dresses over the years that I think I’ve probably changed my mind very many times. I had to really consider the appropriateness of the occasion for my dress,” Ms Hayes told WANE.com.

“I wanted my shoulders to be covered, and I would have to lie prostrate before the altar, so I really wanted to make sure that I was well-covered in a way that still shows the beauty of a bride.”

Ms Hayes is not the first woman to marry Jesus. She is one of 230 consecrated virgins in the United States and 3000 around the world.

Consecrated virgins are Catholic women who choose to remain celibate for their entire lives.

They are different to nuns in that they live out their religious calling outside a convent and don’t take vows of poverty.

For Ms Hayes, a teacher at Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne, the nuptials won’t change her everyday life. For one thing, she won’t be taking her husband’s name.

“My students asked if they should call me Mrs Hayes when I come back to school next week, and no, I’m still Ms,” she said. “But I am married to Jesus.”

The deeply religious woman said all people are “in some sense called to be married” and she was called to wed Jesus.

“My marriage is to Christ and someone else’s marriage is to their spouse. A priest’s marriage is to the church. That’s a good desire that’s planted in us by God. The real question is how, how is this lived most joyfully in me,” Ms Hayes said.

It is not clear if Ms Hayes was a virgin before tying the knot, or whether she will enjoy a honeymoon with her new flame.

Hundreds of people, including friends and family, turned out to watch the devout Catholic walk down the aisle over the weekend.

“I’m so happy to have had so many witnesses today because there may be others that the Lord is calling in this way that have now heard of this life and can consider it in their prayer,” she said.

“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. It was really a consideration of which things brought me the most joy and where my greatest happiness was.

“It seemed that all of those loves converged on this one thing where I could still be living in the world and be a part of the lives of my students and be studying and teaching and involved in a parish life, but I could also give myself more completely.”

Ms Hayes’ consecration was celebrated by Bishop Kevin C Rhoades, according to Today’s Catholic News.

“It is God who gives the grace of virginity. He gave this grace to the young woman of Nazareth, to Mary, who was inspired by the Holy Spirit to choose the life of virginity. Mary made a personal decision in faith to remain a virgin, to offer her heart to the Lord. She wanted to be His faithful bride,” he said in his homily.

“It seems most appropriate that Jessica gives herself totally to Jesus, is consecrated to a life of virginity, on a feast of Our Lady, who gave herself totally to God as the virgin handmaid of the Lord.”