Confirmation names

[WhitSunday]

Hi! I was actually confirmed a few years ago, but I have a question for my sister, who’s being confirmed soon.

Can you take more than one confirmation name? If so, how many? My parish’s class seemed to indicate that you could take one + your baptismal middle name, but my friend, who was confirmed through a different parish, had 3 or 4.

Also, when you use the name of a saint, do they become your patron? I feel like I heard something like that. I checked the CCC, but I don’t think it addressed these particular questions.

Thanks!

 

[Phemie]

Hi! I was actually confirmed a few years ago, but I have a question for my sister, who’s being confirmed soon.

Can you take more than one confirmation name? If so, how many? My parish’s class seemed to indicate that you could take one + your baptismal middle name, but my friend, who was confirmed through a different parish, had 3 or 4.

Also, when you use the name of a saint, do they become your patron? I feel like I heard something like that. I checked the CCC, but I don’t think it addressed these particular questions.

Thanks!

It doesn’t address it because it’s not really part of the Confirmation Rite. It’s traditional in some place and totally unheard of in others. It never came up where I was confirmed nor did it ever come up when my kids were confirmed in three different parishes in three different dioceses.

I’d never heard of it until I saw a space for the name in the parish registers – a space not filled in for many years.

From my reading I gather they are supposed be someone you seek to emulate, a role model rather than your patron.

 

[Don9of11]

It has been many years since I was confirmed but I was taught to take one name of a saint you would most like to be like. I suppose emulate is as good a word as any. They can become your patron saint if you choose. I don’t know why you would want to have multiple names, I had hard enough time picking one.

On this page catholic.com/thisrock/2006/0602qq.asp about half way down.

Q: Could you explain the custom of taking a “confirmation name”? It seemed to be required when I was younger but I don’t think it is anymore.

A: The custom of adopting a saint’s name at confirmation was done in order to adopt the saint as a special heavenly patron or to honor a saint to whom one had a special devotion. In short, the purpose was to give the confirmand the opportunity to develop his understanding of and reliance on the communion of saints.

While the practice is still in use today, some dioceses have encouraged returning to the older tradition of not picking a new name at confirmation. The idea is that the person is already supposed to have a Christian name, given to him in baptism, and that continuing to use that name at confirmation will serve as a link between these two sacraments of Christian initiation.

 

[Secret_Square]

I suppose one can choose as many confirmation names as one wants to, but only one will go on the official record, if indeed there is an official record of the name anywhere.

My daughter’s confirmation class has been encouraged to adopt confirmation names. The instructor added that girls are free to choose male confirmation names and boys are free to choose female saint names if they wish.

Well, my daughter has decided on Michael, after Michael the Archangel Not a bad patron saint to have, plus there are women named Michael, such as Michael Learned (the actress who played the mother on “The Waltons”) and Michael Sneed (a Chicago newspaper columnist).

Anybody else ever chosen a confirmation patron of the opposite gender or know someone who has?

 

[JS_Cortez]

Well, my daughter has decided on Michael, after Michael the Archangel Not a bad patron saint to have, plus there are women named Michael, such as Michael Learned (the actress who played the mother on “The Waltons”) and Michael Sneed (a Chicago newspaper columnist).

Anybody else ever chosen a confirmation patron of the opposite gender or know someone who has?

I did. I actually chose Raphael the Archangel. My family tried to discourage me from it but I told them that angels aren’t male or female, technically, so it shouldn’t matter. The Bishop smirked when he saw my little name tag.

 

[jc-servant]

I suppose one can choose as many confirmation names as one wants to, but only one will go on the official record, if indeed there is an official record of the name anywhere.

My daughter’s confirmation class has been encouraged to adopt confirmation names. The instructor added that girls are free to choose male confirmation names and boys are free to choose female saint names if they wish.

Well, my daughter has decided on Michael, after Michael the Archangel Not a bad patron saint to have, plus there are women named Michael, such as Michael Learned (the actress who played the mother on “The Waltons”) and Michael Sneed (a Chicago newspaper columnist).

Anybody else ever chosen a confirmation patron of the opposite gender or know someone who has?

Good for your daughter! We have people choose the name of someone of the opposite gender every year. St. Michael has been my “patron” for my career in law enforcement, but I was torn between choosing him for my confirmation name (I’m female) or St. Katherine Drexel. I ended up finding out some amazing connections that I have with St. Katherine Drexel at the last minute and I chose her for my confirmation saint. Amazingly enough it was the first Easter when she could be chosen as the previous year she had been “Blessed Katherine.” At my parish every saint chosen by someone being confirmed at Easter Vigil is sung in the Litany of Saints, so it was very awesome to hear “my” saint in the litany for that very first time.

My mother and aunt were confirmed in a very different part of the country and many decades earlier, but they chose confirmation names also. I love it even it it is not required because in our RCIA we get a “saint of the week” so that everyone reads a bit about that saint’s life in our weekly lesson handout plus we give candidates/catechumens a huge list and websites where they can do more research.

 

[bpbasilphx]

I did. I actually chose Raphael the Archangel. My family tried to discourage me from it but I told them that angels aren’t male or female, technically, so it shouldn’t matter. The Bishop smirked when he saw my little name tag.

FWIW, “Ralph” is actually the Angicization of Raphael.

 

[53_Veer]

My wife and I are in RCIA and we have to have our confirmation names picked soon (obviously – Easter is right around the corner).

My wife, as a teacher chose Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, one of the patron saints of education.

I’m having a much harder time selecting “just” one name. I’ve been reading some of the works of St. Thomas Aquinas with our parish priest as part of Lent, and the story of his nickname (“The Dumb Ox”) reminds me of an experience I had in graduate school. I am also drawn to St. Albertus Magnus, both because of his relationship with Thomas Aquinas, but because of his advocacy of a peaceful coexistence between science and religion (something I have to do every day - and carefully!). Because I teach, I often think of St. Joseph.

It seems that there are many people to whom I might speak often, but I’m unsure how to best select my name for our upcoming confirmation.

As an aside, both of us will receive four sacraments – one after the next – baptism, confirmation, first communion, and then our marriage will be blessed. What a day that will be!

With best wishes,

Anthony