Can I pick a name for a baby belonging to a Venerable or does it need to be a saint?

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As the title states, I’m shortly to be a mommy again please God all goes well, and after intense discussions with my hubbie, we have agreed on a boy’s Christian name, but struggled to agree on a girl’s name. Both of us are incredibly indecisive so that hasn’t helped. At last, today we have reached consensus on a girl’s name - Edel. Now there is no Saint Edel, however here in Ireland, Edel is becoming popular after the Venerable Edel Quinn, declared Venerable in 1994 but whose campaign for beatification is ongoing. I would not go against the Church’s teaching on this if it must be a saint’s name or a Biblical name, so would anyone be able to advise the Church’s official position here please?

Thanks in advance.
 
trials said:
As the title states, I’m shortly to be a mommy again please God all goes well, and after intense discussions with my hubbie, we have agreed on a boy’s Christian name, but struggled to agree on a girl’s name. Both of us are incredibly indecisive so that hasn’t helped. At last, today we have reached consensus on a girl’s name - Edel. Now there is no Saint Edel, however here in Ireland, Edel is becoming popular after the Venerable Edel Quinn, declared Venerable in 1994 but whose campaign for beatification is ongoing. I would not go against the Church’s teaching on this if it must be a saint’s name or a Biblical name, so would anyone be able to advise the Church’s official position here please?

Thanks in advance.
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Your baby could be the first Saint Edel. There has to be a first, right? Go with it, i love it.
 
I do not think there is any Church teaching that says you must name your child after a saint. I was baptized in St Patrick’s Catholic Church in San Jose, California Douglas Keith, neither name having a saint attached to it. Sometime people get too wrapped up in the little things. What matters more than what you name your child is how you bring them up in The Faith. Teach them the important teachings of The Church so no matter what their name is they can be well grounded in The Church.
 
I don’t believe you need to choose a saint’s name, and Edel is a beautiful choice, especially since it’s the name of a servant of God. Why not pick an already-canonized saint’s name as a middle name? Edel Marie, for example, or Edel Clare?
 
St. Gemma Galgani is a good precedent of a child who was not named after a saint-- She became the very first Saint of her own name!
"Gemma Galgani was born on March 12, 1878, in a small Italian town near Lucca. Gemma is the Italian word for gem. The child’s mother was worried that this name was not a saint’s name, but a priest friend comforted her with the remark that perhaps the child would one day be a “gem of Paradise.” You can read her story here: marys-touch.com/Saints/gemma.htm

The fact is, in order to even have saint names existing in the first place, some child had to be named a non-saint name, then become a saint themselves. We have so many saints, and each one of them was named a non-saint name at some point.
Many non saint names can have wonderful religious meanings. I think Edel fits in that category.

Also, there are countless numbers of holy deceased who are technically saints, but not canonized saints. Surely one of them would have your child’s name, and they would pray just as powerfully for the child as a canonized saint would. Or at least, that’s what makes sense to me.

And if it worries you that the child’s first name is not saintly, be at peace with the thought of a saintly middle name. That is what my aunt did.

Hope that can help you make your decision. I’m sure whatever name you choose will be splendid. 👍 Have a good Christmas season this year!
 
Sure.

There is no requirement that one have a saints name …or a blessed…or a venerable…

It just needs to not be contrary to the Church …to the Faith…

So “Warlock” would not be acceptable…

But it is a great custom…and at least throw in a middle name of a Canonized Saint they could look up to…
 
The Church has no requirement regarding naming of children. The Church asks that names not be offensive to the Faith.

It is a pious tradition to name children after saints, blessed, venerable, etc, but NOT a requirement.
 
As far as I know, there’s not any binding Catholic teaching that we must name all of our children after Saints. Really, the more important thing is that we should not name our children anything that is *anti-*Christian.

Here’s what the Catechism says:

2156 The sacrament of Baptism is conferred “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” [85] In Baptism, the Lord’s name sanctifies man, and the Christian receives his name in the Church. This can be the name of a saint, that is, of a disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord. The patron saint provides a model of charity; we are assured of his intercession. The “baptismal name” can also express a Christian mystery or Christian virtue. “Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to see that a name is not given which is foreign to Christian sentiment.” [86]

[85] Mt 28:19.
[86] CIC, Can. 855.

It would be perfectly appropriate to name the child after a Venerable or a Blessed. How many "John Paul"s are out there! 🙂 Likewise, you could name your child after a virtue: Faith, Hope, Charity, Joy, etc. If you have a Christmas baby, you could even choose something like Noelle, because the word means “Christmas”. All of those would count as being Christian names.

Where’s puzzleannie? I’ve seen her post a website that finds a corresponding saint for any name. I should have bookmarked it. :o
 
Note that our bishop’s name is Todd Brown [Orange CA]. He has assured people that it is not necessary to have a saint’s name. [Though his middle name is David].
 
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