WHAT’S IN A NAME?

All of us know that names are given to babies so that as they grow into children and adults, everyone else will have a way of recognizing them and communicating with them. Let’s face it, if we had to call everybody, “hey you”, the world would be an even more difficult place to live in than it is now.

Well, the same can be said for our spiritual names. All of us received our Christian Name when we were baptized. By taking the name of a Saint, we recognize our “rebirth in the Spirit” (see John 3). We also recognize that we have joined God’s family, the Church, and all new members of a family are given a name.

In Confirmation, we are strengthened with a special grace of the Holy Spirit to become mature Christians. And like baptism, our souls receive a special mark on them. In recognition of this, we take on a Confirmation Name. The Church prefers us to be Confirmed in our baptismal name, but the name of any recognized Saint will do. The Saint whose name we pick “provides a model of charity and we are assured of their intercession” (CCC #2156).

For help in finding a name, try your parish Lending Library (if you have one), your Catholic school library, a local catholic bookstore or online at

http://saints.catholic.org/stsindexb.html#B.

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CCC Reference to Catechism of the Catholic Church Second Edition For the United States of America, Copyright © 1994 United States Catholic Conference , Inc.