Confirmation names

[BeeSweet]

Would the name Immaculata be an appropriate Confirmation name? I’m thinking of taking the name Pascal Immaculata after Saint Pascal Baylon and Mary, the Immaculate Conception. It sounds really beautiful, not to mention it’s packed with meaning for me. Is it appropriate to take two names?

I’m twenty years late for being Confirmed. I’ll be doing it this year, but I imagine I’ll still be missing out on some of the basic instruction I should have received as a teenager. I should be taking a short course coming up here soon, I’m waiting to see it announced in the Sunday bulletin.

I’d appreciate any stories on how any of the respondents decided to choose their own Confirmation name. I’m sure the subject’s been hashed again and again, but I think the search feature is under maintenance right now, so I’m not able to look up any stories.

 

[KCT]

My kids chose saints. The names you chose seem fine!
—KCT

 

[Thekla]

Would the name Immaculata be an appropriate Confirmation name? I’m thinking of taking the name Pascal Immaculata after Saint Pascal Baylon and Mary, the Immaculate Conception. It sounds really beautiful, not to mention it’s packed with meaning for me. Is it appropriate to take two names?

It’s fine to combine two names. My confirmation name was/is Mary Francis. My Aunt Mary was my sponsor and Francis was the name of my godmother.

 

[brotherhrolf]

I chose, like so many people of my extraction, Patrick. My sister chose Brighet. My great grandfather’s name was Pascal. Most interesting.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

I love it!!! Do you?

My goddaughter chose Cabrini rather than Frances, Xavier, Maria, Francessca, or any combination of these.

Mine is just Anne, for Our Lady’s mother. If I had been born a bit later, to have been confirmed around 1975 instead of 1967, I might have chosen Bayley or Seton.

My husband’s is Paul. When asked why he chose St. Paul, he likes to tease people by telling them, “Because there is no St. Ringo.”

 

[Sabda]

Like you I was also confirmed late. I was 23 when I was finally confirmed into the Church. I looked at lots of saints. Read their stories but there was only one that really spoke to me. So I picked him, St Gabriel, the archangel. There was just something about him that called to me.

If those are the names/saints who really speak to you than go with it.

 

[BeeSweet]

I think I do love it! I just wasn’t sure if the name Immaculata was appropriate. I’ve been thinking about this for a looooong time, reading up on saint’s lives. There are so many I love. Recently here someone asked if it was appropriate for a woman to take a man’s name, and several examples were given that it’s really common. So I thought, “Oh great… now it’s not only feminime names that I have to choose from, but ALL names? As if this weren’t already difficult enough?” and so the search continued, but only for a few more days. I read the story of Pascal Baylon this past Sunday, his name struck me, kinda like a bell ringing. I read his story, about his great devotion to the Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist, his ardent defense of it, and it touched my heart. He became personal to me very quickly. So I wanted to pair up his name with a female saint, and Mary seemed the only one my heart would allow, so I went looking for forms of the name Mary. I’ve been wanting to be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart by being enrolled in the Militia Immaculata, but I hadn’t decided yet on a feast day to do it. When I went into the list of Memorials for Mary, February 2nd popped up as the day in the old calendar when we would celebrate the Purification of Mary. Today’s calendar we celebrate The Presentation of the Lord, which is one of the mysteries of the Rosary, and probably the one I pray with most fervor because the fruit of this mystery is obedience. So, the bolt of lightening hit me, “Pascal Immaculata”, and I think I’m going to go ahead and consecrate myself to her Immaculate Heart by enrolling in the Militia Immaculata on February 2nd.

Sounds like a great deal of thought when I type it out here. It was all lightening fast inside my head!

 

[StacieAdy]

All theses names are beautiful!! I am a Candidate and am very excited about taking my Confirmation name. But can you all clear something up for me? Is it true that you can only take one name if you have been Baptized?

Thank you!!

BeeSweet - My middle child was born on April 21, 2005!

 

[netmilsmom]

Theresa is traditional in my family.
Grandma took it.
Mom took it.
All the Aunts.
My sisters and myself.
My nieces.
And now my daughters are in line.

It takes some work on the Mother’s part to convince by St. Theresa’s life story to convince the girls, but we don’t want to tell any of them “It’s tradition so you have to.” They must want to because of who she was.

BeeSweet, great choice!

 

[netmilsmom]

All theses names are beautiful!! I am a Candidate and am very excited about taking my Confirmation name. But can you all clear something up for me? Is it true that you can only take one name if you have been Baptized?

Thank you!!

I have never heard that.

My hubby took Thomas (because he was the “Doubting Apostle”) last year when he joined the church. He retained his first name and middle name from Baptism.

Congrats and welcome to the church!

 

[BeeSweet]

All theses names are beautiful!! I am a Candidate and am very excited about taking my Confirmation name. But can you all clear something up for me? Is it true that you can only take one name if you have been Baptized?

Thank you!!

BeeSweet - My middle child was born on April 21, 2005!

Neat-o that our babies share the same birthday! One of the previous responses above from Thekla says it’s fine to combine two names:

It’s fine to combine two names. My confirmation name was/is Mary Francis. My Aunt Mary was my sponsor and Francis was the name of my godmother.

If you’re still reading up on the saint’s lives trying to choose, here’s a great website with TONS of information about the saints: catholic-forum.com/saints/indexsnt.htm

Why do we take a Confirmation name? I have a feeling why, but I’ve never really been told specifically what the significance is. I’ve heard that often adult confirmandi do not take an additional name. I’m going to make a point of asking specifically to do so though. It feels like a spiritual rite of passage to me.

 

[BeeSweet]

Theresa is traditional in my family.
Grandma took it.
Mom took it.
All the Aunts.
My sisters and myself.
My nieces.
And now my daughters are in line.

It takes some work on the Mother’s part to convince by St. Theresa’s life story to convince the girls, but we don’t want to tell any of them “It’s tradition so you have to.” They must want to because of who she was.

BeeSweet, great choice!

That’s such a lovely family tradition. Is it St. Therese the Little Flower or St. Theresa of Avila?

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

Why do we take a Confirmation name? I have a feeling why, but I’ve never really been told specifically what the significance is. I’ve heard that often adult confirmandi do not take an additional name. I’m going to make a point of asking specifically to do so though. It feels like a spiritual rite of passage to me.

We take confirmation names because we want to emulate our chosen patron in a special way; also, because our parents chose our names (I’m sure there must be a St. Tiffany someplace), but WE chose our confirmation names.

Confirmation names are not “legal” names without name changes, BTW.

 

[Spirithound]

Is it true that you can only take one name if you have been Baptized?

I’m pretty sure that’s not the case, as you cannot be confirmed unless you are baptized.

So, my confirmation name is Raphael. I believe I was inspired to pick this name. I went through a name list in the back of my dictionary, and i had it narrowed down to I think Matthew and John, and i decided to go back through the list one more time, and I found Raphael, which means God has healed, and i found that Raphael hadn’t even made my shortlist.
St. Raphael, Medicine of God, pray for us!

 

[BeeSweet]

I become more and more convinced that I’ve made the right choice, the more I research. I just read on another website the following about Confirmation:

"When you are confirmed, besides being an adult member of the Church, you are called to some very special duties.

* Defender of the Faith. You are called to know your Faith, the teachings of the Holy Church, and be willing and able to defend the Faith against those who would attack it.
* Soldier in Christ. In confirmation, you are called to be a soldier in the Church Militant. You are called to stand up for that which is just, and be willing to suffer for your Faith."

So, Pascal as a defender of the teachings of the Faith, he taught himself to read while tending his sheep, and was nearly beaten to death for defending the Real Presence to Calvinists while travelling through France. Our Lady because she was called by God. She was His most faithful follower, and suffered willingly for Him. May God grant I imitate my namesakes well!