Terminology difference - regional or?

[Phemie]

Also, I did have my First Holy Communion, and sometimes I do seem to have too much time on my hands.

“I went to Communion” or “I didn’t go to Communion” are very common expressions around here, in fact, they are much more common than ‘receive Communion’.

 

[JamesCaruso]

“I went to Communion” or “I didn’t go to Communion” are very common expressions around here, in fact, they are much more common than ‘receive Communion’.

But what do they say with regard to First Holy Communion?

 

[Phemie]

But what do they say with regard to First Holy Communion?

They say “made”.

 

[JamesCaruso]

They say “made”.

Oh, and in the evil Mafia, when you become a leader, you are a “made man.” You might say that the sacrament of Holy Orders makes you a “made man” on the other side, among those who war against evil. And Confirmation makes a baptized member into a “soldier” of Jesus Christ.

PS-- It must be the passing of James Gandolfini that brought this to mind.

 

[Chatter163]

These ways of expressing the celebration of first holy communion are linguistic and cultural, and not ecclesiastical. Once they become engrained in the language and culture, they usually remain there. Region, generation, catechesis, culture and ethnic background can all be factors.

Sometimes these expressions result from the way that immigrants, particularly those of the working class, translated the expression from their native language. This is how “take communion” became popular in some places, because that is how the original language group expressed the act of receiving. (This happens in all areas of life, which is why I have heard some second generation folks say “take a haircut,” as that is how it is expressed in the parents’ language.) These expressions can become common and remain in succeeding generations, and spread beyond the original cultural group, because the expression is simply a succinct way to express the act of celebrating a particular sacrament.

Some people, especially of the last generation, refer to a “baby’s christening” rather than “baby’s baptism.” To some ears, this sounds odd because the Roman Catholic Church always uses the term baptism, and that is evident in her ritual books, both Latin and vernacular. I heard one person complain that “Ships are christened; people are baptized!” And yet, one can clearly see Our Lord’s Name in the word christen, which is certainly a lovely way of expressing the nature of the sacrament. And then, when one researches, one notices that many Eastern languages (both Eastern European and Middle Eastern) use a word that is most accurately translated as christen, even in their ritual books. In some parts of the US, this term is still frequently used–not so much by the parish itself, but by people, especially when speaking informally.

 

[Phemie]

Some people, especially of the last generation, refer to a “baby’s christening” rather than “baby’s baptism.” To some ears, this sounds odd because the Roman Catholic Church always uses the term baptism, and that is evident in her ritual books, both Latin and vernacular. I heard one person complain that “Ships are christened; people are baptized!” And yet, one can clearly see Our Lord’s Name in the word christen, which is certainly a lovely way of expressing the nature of the sacrament. And then, when one researches, one notices that many Eastern languages (both Eastern European and Middle Eastern) use a word that is most accurately translated as christen, even in their ritual books. In some parts of the US, this term is still frequently used–not so much by the parish itself, but by people, especially when speaking informally.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, before the Reformation in England, the baptismal formula for an emergency baptism done by a lay person was “I christen thee, in the name of the Father…”. We get the expression “Christian name” from that as well as the verb ‘to christen’.

I’ve also seen ‘christen’ described as the part of the Baptismal Rite where the baby’s name is given, the first question the priest asks the parents in the Rite.