Who's my confirmation saint?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Benedict761
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Benedict761

Guest
So this may come across as scrupulous, but I’m genuinely not too sure who my confirmation saint is.

Long story short, when I was confirmed, the Bishop of my diocese did not allow those being confirmed to choose a name of a saint of the opposite sex. This posed a problem for me, as I was (and still am) rather devoted to saint catherine of siena, and was told that I would (if I were to choose her as my patron saint) have to find the masculine equivalent to her name. I couldn’t really find a direct male equivalent to catherine, so I chose the name of “Christopher” in a way of trying to find something vaguely similar. Since confirmation, I’ve always worried that by choosing the name Christopher, it made St Christopher my patron saint rather than saint Catherine of Siena, as I really intended her to be my confirmation saint.

Does the intention matter most? Or does the choosing of Christopher as my name decide who my patron is?

Thank you!
 
Sorry that happened to you. There is no rule like that, as many many men choose female saints and women who choose male saints, even moreso for Religious names (how many Brother Marys and Sister Ignatius I’ve met).

My patron is a man.

Patronage is a nice custom, it is not doctrine. I am sure St Catherine of Seina has much for you to learn!!
 
Some Bishops or parish priests do have this hangup about not letting a person choose a saint of the opposite gender unless they pick the properly gendered equivalent of the saint’s name, like Joan for a saint named John, etc

The intention is what matters in choosing a saint. If you chose St. Catherine of Siena then she is your patron saint. You could have both her and St. Christopher though. Never hurts to have more than one.
 
Last edited:
Tis_Bearself said:
You could have both her and St. Christopher though.
Click to expand...
That’s actually a joke I tell people sometimes when they ask me who my patron saint is. “Why yes indeed, I have not just the one, but I’m so cool that I have two”

But thank you though, this was quite helpful
 
Unfortunately, modern scholarship leans toward declaring St. Christopher a pious legend rather than an actual person. The only tales of his life come from long after he was said to have lived. The tradition goes that St. Christopher was an extremely tall pilgrim that met the Christ Child beside a river. Christ asked Christopher to carry him across so he tore a nearby palm tree up by the roots and used it as a walking stick to steady himself with Christ on his shoulder. As he was walking, the river flooded and he barely made it across. He had bore Christ, even with risk to his own life. Legend says that he was martyred sometime during the 3rd century.

While St. Christopher may not have been an actual person, ‘Christopher’ would still be a valid Confirmation name. Christopher literally means ‘Christ-carrier’ in Greek. In the Early Church, Christophers were the term for the faithful who were sent out with the Blessed Sacrament to take it to those in need during the persecutions. While rarely used because of their age, children were the best bearers for the Eucharist because they weren’t stopped and searched regularly by the authorities. Still, some of these Christophers were martyred, like St. Tarcisius.
 
Last edited:
When I was confirmed, our Confirmation candidates had to write an essay and tell about our saint at a Sunday assembly of parents and friends of the participants. Our pastor, Father K, was there and didn’t even raise an eyebrow, however, he looked astonished and irritated when I handed him my card with the name of St Colette at the ceremony. Everyone heard him say, “Saint . . . Cecelia!”

My day was ruined until a priest friend of the family told me that, gosh! I was luckier than the other kids, because they’d have only one saint, but I’d have two! I’ve always followed his advice, and, in my mind’s eye, visualize them together. I probably turn to St Michael the Archangel and St Jude more often, though.
 
Study the lives of the saints, and whichever one speaks to your soul, that’s the one you choose.
 
GIven the number of churches and patronages named after St. Christopher, including some of relatively recent vintage (there is one from the 20th century in a neighborhood near me), I would guess that even if the pious legends about him are not true, when one calls on “St. Christopher,” some saint in heaven answers.
 
Last edited:
I forgot who my Patron Saint of Confirmation was. What do I do?
 
Tis_Bearself said:
I would guess that even if the pious legends about him are not true, when one calls on “St. Christopher,” some saint in heaven answers.
Click to expand...
Since it is also a relatively common name, I bet there are more than a few people named Christopher in Heaven.
 
I never got to choose a Patron Saint at my Confirmation, so I keep a devotion to St. Joseph because he is an adopted parent, and the Patron Saint of the Church I was confirmed in (St. Olaf).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top