Need advice - confirmation name

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AlmostCatholic

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Hello,

I am planning on being received into the church this Easter Vigial and I was trying to pick jus tthe right confirmation name.

I was wondering about a couple things and I wanted to get some advice.

First off, I was told that I could use any person that I look up to as a role model of faith, even if they aren’t canonized. I was thinking I’d like to use Lewis, for C.S. Lewis but I wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate as he never became Catholic (though I attribute it to Him priamarily that I am becoming catholic.).

My other thought was of Mary. I see her as an important part of my journey but I am uncomfortable using a feminine name. I know some people have used Marion, but I’m still not sure about that. I was wondering if it would be appopriate to use theotokos as a name or if that is inappropriate?

If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d certainly appreciate it.

God Bless,

-Justin
 
I would ask your priest if using Lewis would be appropriate. There is a Saint David Lewis, by the way 😃 saints.sqpn.com/saintl2p.htm

I’m not sure about using a woman’s name for a man. Perhaps Joseph, Mary’s husband?

When I was confirmed as a teen, I chose Saint Joan of Arc…looking back, I should have found St Catherine, since my first name is simply the Dutch version of Catherine. Look through a good index of saints and find a saint that is appropriate for your desired patronage…for instance, a librarian might choose Jerome, in honor of St Jerome (or St Catherine for a woman). Or perhaps you will stumble upon a saint who shares your name and who
 
My confirmation name is Patience - because I have none. 😃

Speak to your RCIA director or your priest and see what suggestions they have for you. I could not choose a saint for my name to save my life. I told Father this, and he asked me if there was anything in my life that I particularly needed to work on or needed help with. I immediately laughed and said - I have NO patience!!! He said - well then, that’s it! It is a virtue you will always be reminded of.

And I have to say that through the years it has worked for me. 🙂

I was baptized when I was 35 - I’m now 43.

Welcome HOME!!! 👍

~Liza
 
I’m going to be baptized and confirmed at the Easter Vigil this year… but I never knew about needing a confirmation name. Is that only for already baptized Christians or should I speak to someone about this as well?
 
GIMJ said:
I’m going to be baptized and confirmed at the Easter Vigil this year… but I never knew about needing a confirmation name. Is that only for already baptized Christians or should I speak to someone about this as well?
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I was not baptized until I was 35. You are baptized and confirmed at the same time as an adult. Yes - you should speak to your RCIA director. I they tell you it’s not important or required, then you can still choose a name if you wish. It is not up to them.

~Liza
 
GIMJ said:
I’m going to be baptized and confirmed at the Easter Vigil this year… but I never knew about needing a confirmation name. Is that only for already baptized Christians or should I speak to someone about this as ?
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Taking a name at confirmation is traditional in some parishes/dioceses but it’s not a requirement of the Church.

Since you are being baptized you have the opportunity to add a saint’s name at that time, a name you could then seek to legally add to your other names if you wish. You could approach the pastor and tell him that even though your name is “John Joe” Smith you’d like to be baptized as “John Joe Peter”. After your initiation into the Church you could petition the court to allow you to legally add that name.
 
I don’t really like my current middle name because it comes out of the Book of Mormon, so would it be okay for me to take a saints name and swap it in? 😛
 
I received the Sacrament of Confirmation when I was 12 years old. The way the nuns explained the matter of selecting a confirmation name was that the saint whose name we chose would be with us for the rest of our lives.

After listening to a smattering of Mary’s, Guadalupe’s and Theresa’s, when it came to my choice, I announced, “Agnes”. I had read that she was 12 years old when she was martyred for her faith. Having been taught that confirmation gives us the grace to be soldiers for Christ, I decided to choose her as my patron.

In the 28 years since that day, I admit that I haven’t quite lived up to 1/100th of St. Agnes’ heroism. In fact, I have failed miserably. However, to this day, I still observe her feast day, January 21st, and I still honor her as my patron.
 
GIMJ said:
I don’t really like my current middle name because it comes out of the Book of Mormon, so would it be okay for me to take a saints name and swap it in? 😛
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I think it would be quite OK, precisely for the reason you give.
 
Phemie said:
I think it would be quite OK, precisely for the reason you give.
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Now the hard part is deciding which saint to choose. I like St. Thomas More because his story inspired me to start looking more seriously into becoming a Catholic.

I also like St. Thomas Aquinas because his explanation for the necessity of God also helped me to overcome my atheism.

Can you use one name for more than one saint?

And even if I have a good reason for changing my name, my current name IS a great conversation starter.
 
My Confirmation name is Paschal Immaculata, after Paschal Baylon and Mary the Immaculate Conception. Paschal Baylon is a man, I am a woman. It does not matter if you want to take the name of a saint of the opposite sex, and two names shouldn’t be a problem either.

The Patron Saint Index website is a wonderful tool for learning more about the saints.
 
You can’t take the name of a non-canonized person. You aren’t guaranteed the person is in heaven to be your patron saint if he isn’t a saint! You can take one name with the intention of honoring more than one person. You can take the name of a saint and by doing so also honor a non-canonized person who shared the same patron, like Uncle Michael or Grandma Anne.

It is recommended that you keep the Christian name you were baptized with, which is usually your first name. If you are being baptized and do not have a Christian name, you can choose a Christian name. You can take two names, though they are sometimes discouraged. Most people taking two names take their own given names plus a saint name. David Joseph Jones could take David, Joseph, David Joseph, David Michael Joseph, David Michael, Michael Joseph, or Peter. It is not uncommon to take names of saints of the opposite sex. The most common names I’ve seen used by the opposite gender is males who take the name Mary and females who take the name Michael, both usually as second names.

Many men take a Marian name. I’ve never heard of someone taking the Marian title Theotokos. Some do take Immaculata, Annunciata, Perpetua, Regina, and Rosario which honor other Marian titles. I’ve noticed that most men who take her name choose plain old Mary.
 
AlmostCatholic said:
Hello,

I am planning on being received into the church this Easter Vigial and I was trying to pick jus tthe right confirmation name.

I was wondering about a couple things and I wanted to get some advice.

First off, I was told that I could use any person that I look up to as a role model of faith, even if they aren’t canonized. I was thinking I’d like to use Lewis, for C.S. Lewis but I wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate as he never became Catholic (though I attribute it to Him priamarily that I am becoming catholic.).

My other thought was of Mary. I see her as an important part of my journey but I am uncomfortable using a feminine name. I know some people have used Marion, but I’m still not sure about that. I was wondering if it would be appopriate to use theotokos as a name or if that is inappropriate?

If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d certainly appreciate it.

God Bless,
-Justin
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Mary would be possible… but if you want to go more masculine, Mario works rather well! Just ask all the Italian and Spanish fells named the same.

Josemaria is the best of all worlds - Joseph, Mary & St. Josemaria Escriva

I have always been partial to Ignatius…

Something I have wondered for some time is the use of last names as in the modern era we more and more have saints with such. I always though “Romzha” as in Blessed Theodore Romzha sounded kinda cool. Ditto for the last names of the the martyrs of England & Wales:

Augustine Webster
John Houghton
Robert Lawrence
Richard Reynolds
John Stone
Alexander Briant
Edmund Arrowsmith
Edmund Campion
David Lewis
Henry Morse
Henry Walpole
Nicholas Owen
Philip Evans
Robert Southwell
Thomas Garnet
Alban Roe
Ambrose Barlow
John Roberts
John Jones
John Wall
Cuthbert Mayne
Edmund Gennings
Eustace White, 1591
John Almond
John Boste
John Kemble
John Lloyd
John Pain
John Plesington
John Southworth
Luke Kirby
Polydore Plasden, 1591
Ralph Sherwin
John Rigby
Philip Howard
Richard Gwyn
Swithun Wells, schoolmaster, 1591
Anne Line
Margaret Clitherow
Margaret Ward

I mean come on! You know you kinda want to go with Rigsby, Stone, Soutwell, Walpole or (the ultimate!) Arrowsmith!

Oh, and there WAS a Saint Elvis, so that IS fair game.
 
Just a note: All the priests and brothers of the Missionaries of the Eternal Word take Mary as part of their name. Fr. Joseph Mary, Bro. Pio Mary, etc.

Peace,
Linda
 
AlmostCatholic said:
First off, I was told that I could use any person that I look up to as a role model of faith, even if they aren’t canonized. I was thinking I’d like to use Lewis, for C.S. Lewis but I wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate as he never became Catholic (though I attribute it to Him priamarily that I am becoming catholic.).

My other thought was of Mary. I see her as an important part of my journey but I am uncomfortable using a feminine name. I know some people have used Marion, but I’m still not sure about that. I was wondering if it would be appopriate to use theotokos as a name or if that is inappropriate?
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Hi Justin,

I am also being received into this church this Easter - I can hardly wait! 😃

I understand having CS Lewis as your role model. My own role model is my aunt Margaret, who has been instrumental in my faith formation. I did a lot of praying, and then researched all the St. Margarets I could find (there are quite a few). St. Margaret of Cortona was a perfect fit for me, and so I am honoring my Aunt and also have a patron saint.

If I may suggest… I couldn’t find any “St. Lewis”, but there are many, many “St. Louis”. Same name, only the French spelling. Perhaps you could find a St. Louis you like and therefore have a patron saint who also reminds you of CS Lewis?

Here is another saint index, bookmarked at the “L” saints - catholic.org/saints/stindex.php?lst=L

Best of luck to you! 👍
 
Though there is no hard and fast rule in this regard, I personally would not feel comfortable with C.S. Lewis, simply for the fact that he was not Catholic. I am aware of some of his writings, particularly the later ones, but he remained an Anglican to the end.
 
JoanOfArc said:
You can’t take the name of a non-canonized person. You aren’t guaranteed the person is in heaven to be your patron saint if he isn’t a saint! You can take one name with the intention of honoring more than one person. You can take the name of a saint and by doing so also honor a non-canonized person who shared the same patron, like Uncle Michael or Grandma Anne.
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Due to some events that I am s100% positive involved Divine Intervention, our Bishop gave me special permission to take the name of a non-canonized person. However, the name I chose was not that of a “Uncle Michael,” but rather of a person with a REAL chance of being canonized. My confirmation name, which I hope to legally add to my name at some point in the near future, is John Paul, after Pope John Paul II.
 
lepagedude said:
Due to some events that I am s100% positive involved Divine Intervention, our Bishop gave me special permission to take the name of a non-canonized person. However, the name I chose was not that of a “Uncle Michael,” but rather of a person with a REAL chance of being canonized. My confirmation name, which I hope to legally add to my name at some point in the near future, is John Paul, after Pope John Paul II.
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Nothing wrong with that, considering there is a St John and a St Paul as well. 😉 I know several Catholic families who gave their sons the first or middle name of John Paul.
 
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