Gender and Confirmation / Religious name

[tanner.loper]

Hello,

I am on my way to being confirmed and received into the church, and it occured to me that I might want to choose a confirmation name. I am a male. I was thinking of “Mary Augustine.”

What is the convention regarding the gender and number of confirmation names, if there is one? Would that choice be appropriate? If I were ever to become prefessed religious, would I ostensibly keep those names?

Thanks a lot,

TL

 

[Fauken]

What is the convention regarding the gender and number of confirmation names, if there is one? Would that choice be appropriate?

There is no convention. I’m female and my confirmation Saint is St. Bernard of Clairvaux. You’re fine.

I were ever to become prefessed religious, would I ostensibly keep those names?

One does not lose confirmation names, whether they enter religions life or not. Depending on the community though, you’ll get a religious name.

 

[Jen7]

You may want to check with your priest. I had a friend who took two saints & so I picked two also. But I was being confirmed at a different parish - I was told I could only take one saint whereas my friend’s pastor (or bishop?) allowed two. So I think it varies. My friend also had a male saint as one of hers. Again, her priest or bishop was fine with it. I’d just ask!

 

[Tis_Bearself]

This sort of thing seems to be up to the discretion of the priest - maybe at the discretion of the bishop.

You may or may not be able to choose two saints. Some priests are okay with it, some tell you that you can have only one.

You may or may not be able to have a saint of opposite gender. Some priests are okay with it, some are not.

Assuming you are allowed to have the two saints, they may want you to have the male name first as is conventional in many countries where men often take Mary’s name. So you would perhaps be “Augustine Mary”, similar to St. Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney or St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori.

Regarding your question about keeping names should you enter religious life, it would depend upon the customs of the order and possibly upon your discussions with your superiors. Depending on these factors, you might keep your own name, or be given a different religious name.

 

[catholic03]

At confirmation Mass celebrated by the cardinal on Sunday, a girl was confirmed as Patrick. I think female saint’s names are permitted, but I’ve no idea on whether you may pick two.

I was confirmed as Anthony a few years ago, my patron being St Anthony of Padua.

ΙϹ ΧϹ ΝΙΚΑ

 

[TheLittleLady]

I have a male Confirmation Saint, John

 

[jvickers]

As some others have said, it might be up to the priest. Our priest would not let my wife take a male saint’s name at confirmation.

Of course, seeing as how you initially posted 14 hours ago, you are probably already confirmed.

How did it go?

 

[tanner.loper]

I wish I was confirmed already; I’m currently half way through an accelerated RCIA for reception, so it’ll be a couple months yet.

 

[Phemie]

I wish I was confirmed already; I’m currently half way through an accelerated RCIA for reception, so it’ll be a couple months yet.

Is taking a name a tradition where you live?

I’d never even heard of this practice until I moved this parish. It’s not something that was done where I grew up or where I was a confirmation sponsor or where my kids were confirmed.

 

[adamhovey1988]

My godmother’s name means John in Slovene, and that is her patron, just the feminine form of it.