Maria del Rosario (Mary of the Rosary)
Thanks for the opportunity to share this story!. About a month or two before my confirmation, I had been praying for guidance choosing my name, but hadn’t decided yet. I love St. Rita, but didn’t think it sounded right with my first name. I was out shopping for a confirmation/first communion dress and a Sister happened to walk by. I told her I was coming into the church and asked if the dress would be appropriate. (Answer was yes). We chatted a bit, and then she asked me what my confirmation name would be. I said I hadn’t decided. She asked me what my first name was, I told her, and she said, ‘What about Mary?’
I took this as a sign and it made a lot of sense because, as much as I loved and was helped by St. Rita, I really believed that Mary and praying the Rosary (me and/or others) had a huge influence on my conversion experience. And, when I had first started praying the Rosary, I could not get through it without crying reflecting on the beauty and purity of her son and the sacrifice she has given us all in giving us her son.
I also had lived for a year in Argentina, which had a great impact on me - that instilled a yearning in my heart for Catholicism. The town where I lived was called ‘Villa del Rosario’, which means ‘Village of the Rosary’, and I wanted my experience in Argentina to somehow be part of my confirmation name.
So, there it was - Maria del Rosario. (And as an aside, my first name means ‘Lady’ in Spanish). It all just gelled.
