Confirmation name

[LittleFlower00]

A friend’s son is making his confirmation this year, and I asked his mom about a confirmation name. She said that a confirmation name wasn’t even brought up! Now that the confirmation is approaching, She decided to ask the DRE about the name, and was told that “it’s not something we encourage anymore,” but it’s fine if he wants to use a name different from his baptismal name. HUH?

Is that true? I’m guessing that having a confirmation name was never required by canon law, but I think it was a good custom. Why would a parish “not encourage” learning about a saint and fostering a devotion? Is this a trend that has been common lately?

 

[FaithByProxy]

I can’t tell you whether it’s common to discourage it or not, as I am fairly new to the faith. However, I know that in my RCIA classes, when we were discussing the Sacrament of Confirmation, the use of a Confirmation name was mentioned. The priest teaching the class said that it was great if you wanted to choose one after a Saint that you greatly venerated or your Patron Saint, but that it isn’t required. There was no encouragement or discouragement either way on the subject.

 

[1ke]

Ask your priest who the “we” in “we don’t encourage that anymore” Is because it isn’t the church universal. Perhaps the DRE has a mouse in her pocket and it is “she” and not “we”. Every Confirmation text I am familiar with discusses the confirmation name. Not sure why the DRE has not focused on the value of Saints in our relationship with the church triumphant.

Many of our confirmation students use their own name, but they must still do a saint report researching their name. Some choose saints whose story resonates with them.

 

[puzzleannie]

A friend’s son is making his confirmation this year, and I asked his mom about a confirmation name. She said that a confirmation name wasn’t even brought up! Now that the confirmation is approaching, She decided to ask the DRE about the name, and was told that “it’s not something we encourage anymore,” but it’s fine if he wants to use a name different from his baptismal name. HUH?

Is that true? I’m guessing that having a confirmation name was never required by canon law, but I think it was a good custom. Why would a parish “not encourage” learning about a saint and fostering a devotion? Is this a trend that has been common lately?

we are often told to have the candidate concentrate and learning more about his baptismal name saint in order to emphasize the close connection between the two sacraments. We have at least one of the prep sessions concentrate on saints, patrons, learning about our baptismal saint etc. Our new bishop however has encouraged the candidates in preparation to consider choosing a new name so we have added that to the program. It is not required but suggested. It appears on the confirmation record, there is a space for it, and the certificate but nowhere else and of course does not change the legal name.

You are right it is not required by canon law, except in the case of a convert who has an overtly anti-Christian name. We had a child named for one of the more flamboyant Greek gods a few years ago in RCIA and the priest insisted on a new baptismal saint name.

so in short yes learning about saints and devotion to one’s patron is and always has been part of the “program” but no choosing a new confirmation name is not essential.

and incidentally “we” as in OP and my post usually means DREs who have been so instructed by their bishop or his delegates as part of their preparation for the job. Turly, we don’t make this stuff up.

 

[pat_mc_1]

When we are presented to the bishop they use that name they bishop seals us using that name not our birth name. So I don’t understand why they wouldn’t encourage something that is in the rite.
That’s saying that they don’t encourage baptismal names. Most people use that name as their confirmation name. I did.

 

[LittleFlower00]

That makes sense about keeping a connection between baptism and confirmation. It just seems like the tossing aside of a unique and very special Catholic custom.

It also seems like the parish is passing up an opportunity to have the teens deepen their faith by delving into history. I write about saints and the Catholic faith for youths, and I see the value in having them form a relationship with our heavenly friends who are willing to intercede for us.

 

[Phemie]

That makes sense about keeping a connection between baptism and confirmation. It just seems like the tossing aside of a unique and very special Catholic custom.

It also seems like the parish is passing up an opportunity to have the teens deepen their faith by delving into history. I write about saints and the Catholic faith for youths, and I see the value in having them form a relationship with our heavenly friends who are willing to intercede for us.

My siblings and I were confirmed in the 60s, my children in the 80s & 90s, different dioceses, different provinces and at no time was a ‘confirmation name’ ever mentioned. We were all confirmed under our baptismal names. It was only when I started helping with sacramental preparation in this parish back in the late 90s that I heard of this tradition.

As for what the DRE said to the parents, well, our diocesan catechetical coordinator said the same thing when one parent questioned why we were no longer doing it in our parish, “We use the baptismal name to more clearly reflect the link between baptism and confirmation and to stress the importance of the name given in baptism, remembering God’s words ‘I have called you by name.’”

 

[blanc10]

My mother was confirmed last Easter and she had a confirmation name picked out however they never mentioned anything about it. It’s not a requirement, but it sure is an interesting way to honor a saint.

 

[puzzleannie]

When we are presented to the bishop they use that name they bishop seals us using that name not our birth name. So I don’t understand why they wouldn’t encourage something that is in the rite.

No, the rite does not require a new name for the candidate unless the given name is deemed by the priest or bishop to be anti-Catholic in some way.

It also seems like the parish is passing up an opportunity to have the teens deepen their faith by delving into history. I write about saints and the Catholic faith for youths, and I see the value in having them form a relationship with our heavenly friends who are willing to intercede for us.

as stated this in no way removes study of the saints and their history from the confirmation preparation, so that by itself is no reason to object if the bishop has encouraged candidates to use their baptismal name in the rite. There is plenty of opportunity to develop devotion to one’s baptismal saint and to other saints.