Religious Names and Orders

[MusicaDonumDei]

I think it would be more interesting to have a ‘hard to pronunce’ name. Like, if I ever did pick Jerome as my religious name, I’d hope I’d be able to use the original Latin Hieronymus

Though I like the idea of being given a name, because (being new to Catholicism) most likely it would be a saint which I don’t know anything about yet.

This is a fun and interesting thread!

I’ve been curious about the name-changing business in religious life and over the years I’ve asked individual women and men in religion about their names. Some chose them based on personal devotion to a saint or an attribute of the Lord. Some kept their own names and others had it given to them.

Actually, some sisters after Vatican II and the renewal in religious life changed back to their own names. A lot of the names that were given out “back then” in pre-V2 days were odd, hard to pronounce, or belonged to saints that turned out to be dropped from the calendar because no one could verify that they actually existed.

As for me, given the option, I think I’d let the superiors pick a new name for me. There’s always a reason in the discernment about a specific name.

 

[ForeverHis8827]

Well of course I have given this some thought . I was thinking … Sr. Mary Therese of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Mary, our Blessed Mother, whom I love very much.

Therese, I have learned a lot from her little way and that’s how I learned about the Carmelites.

The Sacred Heart, because I am so much in love with the Lord and His love amazes me everyday. His heart is so precious to me, and I know He keeps me close to it.

 

[CarmeliteGirl25]

Well of course I have given this some thought . I was thinking … Sr. Mary Therese of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Mary, our Blessed Mother, whom I love very much.

Therese, I have learned a lot from her little way and that’s how I learned about the Carmelites.

The Sacred Heart, because I am so much in love with the Lord and His love amazes me everyday. His heart is so precious to me, and I know He keeps me close to it.

Beautiful! You and I share a lot in common. I am hoping to be a Carmelite Sister of the Divine Heart of Jesus, but I am still attracted to the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Arlington, TX:

carmelnuns.com/

I, too, learned from St. Therese about the Carmelites. And I have a devotion to Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. I’m making a personal consecration to Jesus through Mary on the Feast of the Sacred Heart (June 19th this year) by following St. Louis de Montfort’s writings.

Do you have Facebook? Maybe we could keep in touch?

 

[ForeverHis8827]

Beautiful! You and I share a lot in common. I am hoping to be a Carmelite Sister of the Divine Heart of Jesus, but I am still attracted to the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Arlington, TX:

carmelnuns.com/

I, too, learned from St. Therese about the Carmelites. And I have a devotion to Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. I’m making a personal consecration to Jesus through Mary on the Feast of the Sacred Heart (June 19th this year) by following St. Louis de Montfort’s writings.

Do you have Facebook? Maybe we could keep in touch?

That sounds so beautiful! Thank you for sharing that with me . This will be the first year that I will celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart. As the days go by the Lord pulls me closer to Him and the more I think about His love, the more I fall in love with His heart. To know and believe that the Lord Himself is love

To make a consecration to Jesus through Mary sounds wonderful, and on the Feast day of the Sacred Heart, what a great day to do that!

I have looked into Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus before, and I have met others who were interested. I’m being called to the cloister. Right now i’m interested in visiting a Discalced Carmelite monastery, if the Lord wills it, it will be sometime this year. I have also heard of the community in Arlington, TX. They have a beautiful monastery.

I don’t have a Facebook, but I have a Phatmass account and a Blogger. My Phatmass username is, In The Arms Of The Lord, and my blog website is inthearmsofchrist.blogspot.com/
it would be great to keep in touch .

God Bless you and may He always continue to being you closer to Him as you live His holy and perfect will.

 

[CarmeliteGirl25]

That sounds so beautiful! Thank you for sharing that with me . This will be the first year that I will celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart. As the days go by the Lord pulls me closer to Him and the more I think about His love, the more I fall in love with His heart. To know and believe that the Lord Himself is love

To make a consecration to Jesus through Mary sounds wonderful, and on the Feast day of the Sacred Heart, what a great day to do that!

I have looked into Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus before, and I have met others who were interested. I’m being called to the cloister. Right now i’m interested in visiting a Discalced Carmelite monastery, if the Lord wills it, it will be sometime this year. I have also heard of the community in Arlington, TX. They have a beautiful monastery.

I don’t have a Facebook, but I have a Phatmass account and a Blogger. My Phatmass username is, In The Arms Of The Lord, and my blog website is inthearmsofchrist.blogspot.com/
it would be great to keep in touch .

God Bless you and may He always continue to being you closer to Him as you live His holy and perfect will.

You know what ?!?!? I was trying to place you! I remember you now. LOL! I’m registered at Phatmass as “InHisLove726” and “Carmeliteheart726”. We chatted for a while on there, remember? I asked you the same question about Facebook there, sorry!

I’m glad to hear that you know about the Arlington, TX community! They just invested a novice in August! Sr. Elizabeth Mary of the Heart of Jesus! Isn’t that beautiful? I get their newsletter every once in a while called “Whisperlings”. Mother Maria signed me up for it. Have you mailed the community? I highly recommend it.

 

[Jennifer_G]

I have a question. How come some orders don’t have a religious name? There’s a Discalced Carmelite convent in southern Maryland (Port Tobacco) where they don’t have religious names.

 

[JReducation]

I have a question. How come some orders don’t have a religious name? There’s a Discalced Carmelite convent in southern Maryland (Port Tobacco) where they don’t have religious names.

Religious do not have to assume another name. This was a tradition, but never a law. Many religious communities prefer to use the person’s baptismal name as a sign that religious vows are a continuity of one’s commitment at Baptism.

Fraternally,

JR

 

[Augustine]

I have a question. How come some orders don’t have a religious name? There’s a Discalced Carmelite convent in southern Maryland (Port Tobacco) where they don’t have religious names.

Having a religious name and not using it are not the same thing. Are you sure that those making vows don’t take a religious name?

 

[CarmeliteGirl25]

I have a question. How come some orders don’t have a religious name? There’s a Discalced Carmelite convent in southern Maryland (Port Tobacco) where they don’t have religious names.

There is a Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham, UK, that uses their baptismal names as well. When I asked my friend, before she entered, why, she said that it was because of the laws for changing names in the area. It was too difficult. Everything had to be changed (licenses, birth record, etc.), so they just keep them and add “Sister” to their names when they become one.

But the Carmel that you speak of in Port Tobacco does change their names. What made you think they didn’t??

 

[Jennifer_G]

Having a religious name and not using it are not the same thing. Are you sure that those making vows don’t take a religious name?

There is a Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham, UK, that uses their baptismal names as well. When I asked my friend, before she entered, why, she said that it was because of the laws for changing names in the area. It was too difficult. Everything had to be changed (licenses, birth record, etc.), so they just keep them and add “Sister” to their names when they become one.

But the Carmel that you speak of in Port Tobacco does change their names. What made you think they didn’t??

Well, I thought they didn’t since on their website, they had some things like “Sister Suzannah” (in their online newsletter), and “Mother Virginia” (full name was Mother Virginia Marie) is the one who replied to me when I asked for information about retreats.

Maybe it’s optional there, or they don’t put their religious names on the Internet.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Well, I thought they didn’t since on their website, they had some things like “Sister Suzannah” (in their online newsletter), and “Mother Virginia” (full name was Mother Virginia Marie) is the one who replied to me when I asked for information about retreats.

Maybe it’s optional there, or they don’t put their religious names on the Internet.

Might those be their religious names?

I know some orders/communities that have the practice of taking a religious name only take a name, others add a title (like St John of the Cross) but not every religious name has such a title.

When the Carmelite (O.Carm.) men took religious names it was just a saints name, no title. In my pre-novitiate there was a retired Carmelite living there and his religious name had been Baptist. But due to the fact that people had a hard time understanding this when the order stopped this practice he returned to his given name.

 

[Jennifer_G]

Might those be their religious names?

I know some orders/communities that have the practice of taking a religious name only take a name, others add a title (like St John of the Cross) but not every religious name has such a title.

When the Carmelite (O.Carm.) men took religious names it was just a saints name, no title. In my pre-novitiate there was a retired Carmelite living there and his religious name had been Baptist. But due to the fact that people had a hard time understanding this when the order stopped this practice he returned to his given name.

Don’t know. I thought religious names had to be a name of a saint. (I don’t think there’s any St. Virginia or St. Suzannah).

EDIT: Ok, so there is a St. Susanna…

 

[CarmeliteGirl25]

Don’t know. I thought religious names had to be a name of a saint. (I don’t think there’s any St. Virginia or St. Suzannah).

EDIT: Ok, so there is a St. Susanna…

Virginia might be a form of “Virgin” for “Virgin Mary.” I may be way off base, but I noticed that other sisters on the webpage had names like “Miriam John” and such. It could be that they allow some religious to keep their birth names if they desire, and those who don’t can take a different name.

BTW: I noticed that there was a Sister Barbara in one of the orders I was discerning with early on, and I didn’t think there was a saint, but found out, later there is.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Don’t know. I thought religious names had to be a name of a saint. (I don’t think there’s any St. Virginia or St. Suzannah).

EDIT: Ok, so there is a St. Susanna…

They do not need to be explicitly names of Saints. There are many Biblical names that are taken by some. That is if the order/community allows that. Also only one living person can have a name at one time so they might go with alternate spellings of names.

Also, like my example, he was Father Baptist.

 

[Jennifer_G]

I guess I’m used to seeing common religious names like “Sister Mary/Marie/Maria”, “Sister Therese”, etc.

 

[CarmeliteGirl25]

I guess I’m used to seeing common religious names like “Sister Mary/Marie/Maria”, “Sister Therese”, etc.

That’s ok, that’s what we are here for.

 

[JReducation]

A religious name can be a combination of the person’s given name and a second name. Among Franciscans, a religious name has always been an option. That dates back to the time of Francis. The early friars, nuns and secular brothers and sisters did not take a religious name.

Later it became an optional custom, depending on which province you belonged to. The custom was not uniform.

In my province, we had the custom of using your given name with an added name. If your first name was Michael you could become Friar John Micheal.

However, we never legally changed the name. All of our degrees, driver’s licenses, passports, voter registration and other documents were issued with the baptismal name or the name as it appears on your social security card.

Social Security cards are very hard to change, unless you marry, divorce, widow or have a legal name change.

When religious orders began to get medical insurance, this became more complicated. Many insurance companies require your social security number in their files and the names must match.

Missionaries who are traveling need passports and visas. They must use their legal names.

It recently struck me that the flexibility with a religious name has reached the papacy of the last two popes. Many of John Paul II’s writings are signed in both names, Karol and John Paul II. Pope Benedict signed the introduction to his book, Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI (2006). He uses the date to note that he is both persons.

In his forward he indicates that he is not writing as a pope, but as a scholar. Thus he writes under his academic name, Dr. Ratzinger.

There are many reasons why a religious name can be used and when it is not used. There are not hard and fast rules. It depends on the community and the circumstances.

Fraternally,

JR

 

[Cluny]

(I don’t think there’s any St. Virginia or St. Suzannah).

Aside from the fact that Virginia is often used for the Theotokos, there is a St. Parthenia–which is the Greek form of Virginia (from Parthenos–Virgin).

And St. Susannah (various spellings) was one of the Myrrh Bearing Women. And there’s also St. Susannah of Georgia.

 

[Augustine]

Pope Benedict signed the introduction to his book, Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI (2006). He uses the date to note that he is both persons.

In his forward he indicates that he is not writing as a pope, but as a scholar. Thus he writes under his academic name, Dr. Ratzinger.

Well, he also started writing that book before he became pope. Just don’t expect him to sign as not the pope anymore.

 

[JReducation]

Well, he also started writing that book before he became pope. Just don’t expect him to sign as not the pope anymore.

No one expects that at all. I was making an observation that this is being done more today by both John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

I understand that he began the research before he was elected. However, if you read the forward in the book, it is very interesting that he points out two things. 1) He is writing as a theologian doing speculative Christology and 2) he invites opposing views on the content.

John Paul II also published a work that he had written under his baptismal name, while he was pope. He also signed it with both names.

That was the point that I was making, the use of both names. That was not common at all since the popes began to take a religious name.

Fraternally,

JR