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JillD
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Visalia, California USA |
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| First Name: | Jill | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | heathen, EvFree, Messianic, LC-MS, Catholic 2007 |
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Posted: Tue Nov 28th, 2006 05:51 pm |
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| I think I'm understanding that, as we approach our time of entering the Church, we are to choose a patron saint. First, is this recommended or is it necessary? Second, what are some ways that you chose yours? What drew you to that particular person? Do men generally choose male saints and women choose women? If I have no idea right now, what would be a good way to go about choosing?
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"I praise you, for I am wondrously made. Wonderful are our works! My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret." Ps 139
"Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men." Ps 140
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CajunRick
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| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
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| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Tue Nov 28th, 2006 06:34 pm |
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JillD wrote: I think I'm understanding that, as we approach our time of entering the Church, we are to choose a patron saint. First, is this recommended or is it necessary? Second, what are some ways that you chose yours? What drew you to that particular person? Do men generally choose male saints and women choose women? If I have no idea right now, what would be a good way to go about choosing?
At baptism, confirmation, and in some cases, the taking of religious vows, we become "new" and so we take on new names. It's not technically "required" but "strongly recommended" to the point of being almost mandatory. Remember that Saul became Paul and Simon became Peter to indicate their new lives in Christ.
Your patron saint is a person with whom you feel a special relationship. A teacher, for example, might choose Saint Katherine Drexel or Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, both of whom were educators. A doctor might choose Saint Luke, a physician. A fisherman can choose Saint Peter or Saint Andrew, while someone who prepares income taxes might choose Saint Matthew, a tax collector. You'll find a list of patron saints here.
A saint's name for confirmation can also be chosen in honor of a loved one who has passed away, and who you are personally certain died in God's grace. For example, you could choose your grandmother's first name as your patron's name. It must be a recognized saint (but almost every Christian name has a saint's name somewhere behind it) and it can be a feminized version of a male name (Christine for Christopher, Stephanie for Stephen, Erika for Eric which comes from Richard, Joan or Joanne or Jeanne or Juanita for John). On the other hand, a woman can choose a male name, and vice versa. It can be general or specific. I had one candidate insist that her saint's name was not "Elizabeth" but "Elizabeth Ann Seton". When the priest called her "Elizabeth" she corrected him!
The point is that the name should have meaning to you. You should know the saint represented by the name and be able to explain your reason for that choice. You could choose Teresa in honor of Saint Teresa of Lisieux, or Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, or Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, or about a dozen other Teresa's (with or without the h). The saint should be someone you would wish to emulate, someone who is an example in your own life. After all, our saints are our "faith heroes" and your patron saint should be your personal hero or heroine.
The Catholic Community forum (also linked above) has 5271 saints on their list, indexed by name and by patronage, so you're sure to find a good match.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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AggieCatholic
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | San Antonio, Texas USA |
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| First Name: | Lance | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | United Methodist to Roman Catholic (Anglican Use) |
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Posted: Tue Nov 28th, 2006 07:00 pm |
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There are many ways of deciding on a saint. I started by simply researching the patron saints of activities I'm involved in (i.e. the patron of hunters, students, athletes). I soon discovered that method was just to meticulous. So, I began reading about the lives of certain saints and discovering what made them great men and women of faith. That is how I came across a saint I eventually chose, though I had never heard of him before.
I received a minor in history while at college and one of my concentrations was Nazi Germany. That's how I stumbled across the life and death of Maximilian Kolbe. He was a Franciscan priest who was imprisoned in Auschwitz. Another prisoner managed to escape and so it was that 10 men would die in the starvation bunker in retribution. Another prisoner, Francis Gajowniczek, was one of the ten chosen. He cried out in anguish for the wife and children he would leave behind. Fr. Maximilian went to the camp commandant and offered to take Francis Gajowniczek's place. Needless to say, the commandant was stunned. And so, Fr. Maximilian went with the nine other men to die an agonizing death. Guards would report hearing hymns and prayers coming from the cell holding the priest and nine other men.
Maximilian Kolbe left no earthly remains to be cherished as relics. His body was cremated along with millions of others in that hell called Auschwitz. But, while alive, Fr. Maximilian would always wear the Miraculous Medal and was known for handing them out by the hundreds to Catholics and Protestants alike. And so, I too wear the Miraculous Medal.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, patron of prisoners, was canonized on October 10, 1982 by Pope John Paul II. On October 30, 2005 I was confirmed as Maximilian.
Last edited on Tue Nov 28th, 2006 07:02 pm by AggieCatholic
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What part of, "Hoc est enim Corpus meum" don't you understand?
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BodRod
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 2nd, 2006 |
| Location: | Apple Valley, California USA |
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| First Name: | Cliff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Raised an SDA, then Generic Christian, finally at home with ... |
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Posted: Tue Nov 28th, 2006 07:08 pm |
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Hi Jill,
I had a lot of trouble selecting a saint. I have taught school grade 4 through university levels, have played several musical insrtruments, enjoy several other activities, etc. Finally, I selected St. Paul. My reason was that we had both started down the wrong road in life and had to do an about face. I thought he would understand my situation since he had "been there, done that".
I wish you the best on your Journey! 
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Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
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| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Tue Nov 28th, 2006 07:37 pm |
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AggieCatholic wrote: I received a minor in history while at college and one of my concentrations was Nazi Germany. That's how I stumbled across the life and death of Maximilian Kolbe. He was a Franciscan priest who was imprisoned in Auschwitz.
I guess this is off-topic, but since you mentioned St. Maximilian, I wanted to relate a story.
The pastor of my wife's parish church, Fr. Stanislaus Manikowski, was a survivor of Auschwitz. He was a diocesan priest in the diocese of Warsaw when the war broke out, and he was imprisoned by the Nazis because he refused to stop saying mass. Even in the concentration camp, the faithful would smuggle bread and whatever liquid they could find, and he would say mass in the dark after lights out, trusting God that the elements were sufficient. He was caught several times, and eventually most of his tongue was cut out. He survived on grubs and maggots scraped from the ground because he wasn't allowed bread. They finally sentenced him to the ovens, but the camp was liberated a few days before he was scheduled to be incinerated.
He never spoke of his imprisonment until one day at a priest's meeting when the priests were talking about a new movie that had just been released, Shindler's List, and someone noticed the tears in his eyes. The room went silent and for the very first time, he told his story.
When my then-girlfriend and I approached him about getting married, he took a look at my baptismal certificate and laughed. His name was signed on the bottom. After years of therapy and hospitalizations he came to the Archdiocese of New Orleans where he was assigned to St. Agnes Parish. I was probably the first baby he baptized in the United States. He couldn't speak English but that didn't matter since mass and the baptism were in Latin, and another priest would give the homily until he learned English. He was the founding pastor at my current parish church, St. Louis, and ministered there for 13 years. After retirement he continued to say mass well into his 90's. He was never easy to understand because of his removed tongue, but once you got used to his speech you could make it out. He had a very dry sense of humor, but unfortunately he never used it in his sermons.
He was honored by the Archdiocese of Warsaw by being named a Canon of the cathedral, and got to meet a young man who was a seminarian in Poland during World War II, Pope John Paul II.
Fr. Manikowski will probably never be canonized because he survived the concentration camp, but I know God will reward him for his faith and his persistence in providing the sacraments to the camp victims.
OK, let's get back on topic before the Topic Police (i.e., that lunatic Cajun moderator) jumps in and starts fussing!
Last edited on Tue Nov 28th, 2006 07:41 pm by CajunRick
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Katy
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | DFW, Texas USA |
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| First Name: | Katy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Non-denom/Bible churches, Catholic since Easter 2005 |
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Posted: Wed Nov 29th, 2006 12:06 am |
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JillD wrote: I think I'm understanding that, as we approach our time of entering the Church, we are to choose a patron saint. First, is this recommended or is it necessary? Second, what are some ways that you chose yours? What drew you to that particular person? Do men generally choose male saints and women choose women? If I have no idea right now, what would be a good way to go about choosing?
Hi Jill,
I picked up a book of saints at the Catholic bookstore and started reading the profiles of all the female saints (I wanted a women, but you can choose either). I skipped one of the first saints, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, because that is the name of one of the parishes in my area. But after reading the entire book and not finding a saint that seemed right, I went back and read St. Elizabeth's story. Her life spoke to me, and I immediately knew that she was my saint.
I would recommend reading about several saints either online (here's one website) or in books, until you find a saint whose life is similar to yours or speaks to you in some way. Have fun! Once you find your saint, you will have a new friend who will always pray for you on your Journey!
Katy
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Lord, by Your cross and resurrection, You have set us free. You are the Savior of the World.
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brian
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Chicago South Burbs, Illinois USA |
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| First Name: | brian | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | methodist, evangelical, anglican, catholic |
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Posted: Wed Nov 29th, 2006 04:07 am |
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if possible, i think our patron saint chooses us. maybe it is not so clear for all, but ideally i like to think this is th ecase. that some story of element of a saints life will speak to us profoundly or there will be one whose writings or stories simply inspire us, or who we seem to run into often.
i am going with St. John the divine. this is largely becasue i love his mystical writing, emphasis on love, and i love the idea of the disciple Jesus loved, and the whole resting his head on Jesus at the last supper. plus, Jesus gave Mary to John at the cross to take in as his mother, likewise that is symbolic of him giving Mary to all of us as a mother, and Marian devotion has been such a lovely surprise in my journey. i went from disliking the idea, to finding it so helpful. i feel like i am not only gaining my church or theology, but have gained a mother who loves and prays for me.
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Talithacumi
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| Joined: | Sat Sep 30th, 2006 |
| Location: | Eastern Ohio, USA |
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| First Name: | Cheri | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic - Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sat Dec 2nd, 2006 05:54 pm |
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JillD wrote: I think I'm understanding that, as we approach our time of entering the Church, we are to choose a patron saint. First, is this recommended or is it necessary? Second, what are some ways that you chose yours? What drew you to that particular person? Do men generally choose male saints and women choose women? If I have no idea right now, what would be a good way to go about choosing?
Jill,
As a cradle Catholic, I was confirmed when I was about 12 yrs of age. I remember we were more or less encouraged to choose our namesake for our patron saint (for most Catholics back in those days, at least one of our names was the name of a saint - this practice has always been highly encouraged by the Church, though not so obviously in more modern days). It wasn't necessary to choose one's namesake, but at 12 years of age, well... we didn't really spend a whole lot of time researching saints and what they meant to us.
In a way, you guys who are adult converts are lucky. Your choices are made with more maturity. You know the old saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt." Not that I have contempt for the Church! But let's just say that when you're familiar with something, sometimes you are just doing things by rote without thinking a lot about it because it's so familiar. When I chose my patron saint, I was basically just doing what I was supposed to do, along with the rest of the Confirmation Class. It wasn't really a conscious choice, or if it was, I don't really remember it as such. Some people do, but I really didn't. I was a Catholic kid in a Catholic class doing what we did as Catholics. (Please don't get me wrong - this doesn't mean my faith meant nothing to me back then! It did, but as I said, sometimes familiarity tends to make one less conscious of certain things).
But I'm not going to complain. I think Brian may be right. I think maybe our patron saint chooses us. I would say the same about the name of our Guardian Angel (some people discourage naming one's Guardian Angel... well, it's not a doctrinal thing, though, so... to my way of thinking, to "name" something is to "own" it in the sense of personalizing it, and I'd like to think of my Guardian Angel in a personal way. But I'm getting off topic. Sorry...). Also, my mom always used to say something similar... that a name means something. She's told us that when she was pregnant with one of us, she might have had a name in mind, but when the baby was actually born, somehow it didn't fit and she'd end up choosing another name. She always supposed that somehow the Lord chooses our names for a reason.
Anyway, my middle name is Ann (the name of Jesus' Grandmother), and so at Confirmation that was the name I took. In some ways, I really can relate to her. Ann begged and pleaded for a child. God granted her one in her old age, and she (Mary) became the greatest saint of all! Maybe something like that will happen to me (though obviously Mary was one of a kind); but maybe I will have a child some day, even though I'm in my forties now, though I'm not too stupid to realize it may not be God's will. But at least I can relate to her and how she must have felt. Besides, having Jesus' grandmother as my patron saint, well, that's a bit of an honor. And I'm pretty big on family, so I think there's something to that.
Well, I'm sure I didn't exactly answer your question, but I'm just saying you could consider your own name - or something similar to it. I personally haven't heard of a St. Jill, though there may be one, but perhaps your middle name is the name of a saint? You could read up on your name(s) and see if they have some meaning for your life.
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sat Dec 2nd, 2006 07:11 pm |
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Talithacumi wrote: I personally haven't heard of a St. Jill, though there may be one
You got me curious. According to Think Baby Names, Jill comes from Gillian which is from Juliana which is a female derivation of Julian. There are many saints named Julian or Juliana. You'll find them listed at the Patron Saint's Index at Catholic Forum. Isn't the Internet a wonderful thing?
BTW, the saints based on your name are already your patrons by virtue of your baptism. Confirmation gives us a new role as adult Christian witnesses, and so we take another, preferably different name, and another patron saint.
Each of us has many patrons. Some are our patrons by virtue of our occupations, others by virtue of our vocation (parents, single people, religious, priests, etc.), others by where we live (Our Lady of Prompt Succor is the patroness of Louisiana, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception the patroness of the United States, Our Lady of Guadeloupe the patroness of the Americas, St. Francis the patron of my diocese, St. Louis the patron of my parish, etc.). We may pray to any and all of them to ask for their prayers for us.
Our confirmation patron should be a saint chosen personally and it should be someone we identify with, someone we can talk to as a friend, and someone who exemplifies the person we want to be. There was a "movement" for a time to use baptismal names, or a single name for an entire class, but that really cheated the process and the confirmandi. Choosing a confirmation patron should be a very personal faith decision on the part of the confirmand.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Talithacumi
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| Joined: | Sat Sep 30th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sat Dec 2nd, 2006 07:31 pm |
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cajunrick wrote: Talithacumi wrote: BTW, the saints based on your name are already your patrons by virtue of your baptism. Confirmation gives us a new role as adult Christian witnesses, and so we take another, preferably different name, and another patron saint.
Rick,
This is true! And when I think of it, it does make more sense to do so. After all, people in the Bible who were destined for greatness (as we all are) and who had a "conversion" of some kind towards something greater in their Christian / Spritual life often had their names changed. Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sara, Jacob became Israel, Peter became Simon, Saul became Paul, etc...
And today those who take Religious Vows also change their names. For instance, I had a friend from college who took on the name Sister Joan Paul (that was not her real name).
Anyway, yes. It does make more sense to have a different Confirmation name to mark the importance of the event as a "metanoia" or change of heart.
But, oh well. I have my patron saint now... and I do love St. Ann. And not everybody in the Bible who was important had a name-change, so I'm OK with it.
But your post gave me something to chew on, anyway, considering the "whys and wherefores" of name changes... so thanks.
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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