What's in a name?My friend Angela mentioned that when she was confirmed she was told "We no longer take names for confirmation." So Angela took her name 'secretly' - she can do that. When I was confirmed, it was a very big deal to take a name; in fact, part of our retreat before confirmation dealt with our discerning which name to take. When my little brother was confirmed eleven years later, he wanted to take the name of a movie star he liked. I took care of that - after we prayed to the Holy Spirit, I made him draw a saint's name and that is the name he got.
Sr. Mary Martha has a fun and informative post on the subject. One thing she says is that our confirmation name will be our name in Heaven - so I guess I'll be called St. Peter... Be nice to me - you may have to deal with me at the gates. (All of us Peters stick together, you know.)
[Art: "The martyrdom of St. Peter of Verona" I am named after this St. Peter.]
The purpose of using your given name was to link Baptism and Confirmation more closely. It is not required to use your own name and I "encourage" my kidlets to find a saint's name. They do!
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the 'White Stone name' ?
ReplyDeletePaul - yes, I think it is.
ReplyDeleteA girl in my confirmation class was very disappointed when Fr. Brannon vetoed "Crystal".
ReplyDeleteJeffrey....so, what's YOUR confirmation name???
ReplyDeletePlease let me in the gates Terry! Pleeese!
ReplyDeleteI, like Angela, was told to keep my baptismal name for confirmation.
ReplyDeleteShould add: my children love their confirmation names and I do my best to avoid name envy. :>
ReplyDeleteJeffrey - a little deeper research and you can find practically any name for a saint; although I must admit my youngest , Jonathan, was really upset he couldn't have Horatio after his favourite hero 'Hornblower' - My other two ? Well [and get this] :
ReplyDeleteJamie Corwin Listener chose 'Seraphim'
Rowan Hannah Dream
chose 'Wyllow'
Both honest to goodness saints names...
I'm James because I was born on St James the Greater's day.
But I think 'Jonathan Gregory' might very well choose 'Benedict' ??
I was confirmed during post V2 and I don't think any of us were told to use our baptismal name to link to confirmation. It was expected that you picked a different name to have another saint to emulate. Mine was Avia. There should be a rule about letting a teenage girl pick a saint's name! I found reference to St. Avia in a book of saints way back when, but cannot find anything on her now. Maybe you know something, Ter?
ReplyDeleteIf a teenage girl doesn't do a great job of name choosing, a 9 year old does even less well. I chose the name "Caroline" which is derivative of Charles (for St. Charles Borromeo). I just liked the sound of it. My Aunt Caroline was tickled pink, though it really wasn't after her. Caroline is a nice name, but I knew and cared zip about St. Charles at that point.
ReplyDeleteI was confirmed in 1986 or so, and chose St Clare.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe there are people out there saying "Don't pick a confirmation Saint." (Well, yes I can, but you know what I mean.)
Parents pick the baptismal saint - confirmation is the time for a child to choose her "own" patron.
I am appalled that this practice is being discouraged.
WSNS,
I knew a gal who wanted Seraphim last year for her saint, but after further research it was discovered that Seraphim is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church but is not on the Roman calendar, or something like that.
They said it wouldn't be forbidden to pick him, but suggested a Latin Church saint.
Seraphim is a great saint, at any rate.
PS
ReplyDeleteMy sister picked "Bernadette" solely because of the Four Tops song.
What Melody said.
;)
If you scroll down a ways and find the 'sufferages" you'll find St. Avia mentioned in passing, describing a picture of her put into prison and adminstered the sacraments by angels.
ReplyDeleteAh! Here's the reason you can't find St. Avia anymore:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=2879
Thanks Sister MM! Always good to find out my confirmation saint is fictitious. I wonder if this renders my confirmation was fiction too :)
ReplyDeleteTerry:
ReplyDeleteOur new feedjit widget brought me here. I don't recall ever seeing this post last January so it is good that I am here now.
Believe it or not, I chose "Peter" also. First one there gets to guard the pearly gates if he calls "I dibs!"
I think it wasn't so much that I admired St. Peter, but more that I wanted to be in charge.