Dear Catholic Exchange:
I've a question regarding choosing a saint's name for confirmation. My god-daughter loves animals and found out that the patron saint is St Francis of Assisi. However, she is hesitant about taking a masculine name for her confirmation name. Does it make any difference if we use a feminine version eg. Frances instead?
Many thanks.
Natalie
Dear Ms. Chew,
Peace in Christ! We at Catholics United for the Faith were pleased to receive your email from Catholic Exchange. You inquired about the appropriateness of taking the feminine form of a masculine saint’s name for Confirmation.
The simple answer to your question is that it is certainly permissible for your niece to choose St. Francis of Assisi as her patron saint for Confirmation and to commute his name to a feminine form. In fact, the Church does not even mandate that the taking of a new name for Confirmation is a requirement for receiving the sacrament.
While the custom of taking a new Confirmation name is a long-standing practice, it is not a universal law. As The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, written in 1908, provides, “The custom of giving a new name to the candidate is not obligatory; but it has the sanction of several synodal decrees during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.” Therefore, it is left to each bishop to decide whether Confirmation candidates in their diocese take new names.
There has been a movement among some parishes to modify the traditional practice. In order to determine the official diocesan policy regarding this issue one may contact parish leaders or the diocesan vicar general at the diocesan office. If the diocesan policy allows discretion in the matter, then parish leaders should be encouraged to leave the decision up to each Confirmation candidate and his/her parents, and not attempt to influence the decision of the candidate. If this is indeed the practice of your diocese, the confirmation candidate ought to be granted the freedom to choose which saint he/she will take as patron, thus adopting this saint’s name. However, the individual is also permitted to retain his/her baptismal name instead of choosing an additional name for Confirmation.
The significance of taking a Confirmation name, as with receiving a Baptismal name, is to provide a model of Christian charity and the assurance of the saint’s prayers. The Church’s traditional practice is that a candidate takes a new name, typically that of a saint, who thereby becomes an additional patron to intercede for the person as he/she receives the sacrament and strives to grow in holiness thereafter. Hence, it is recommended that the name chosen by a Confirmation candidate be that of a saint to whom the individual is devoted.
Confirmation candidates are not required to take particular names, or even particular forms of a name. With many of the saints, there are a number of variations in the form their name can take. For instance, one takes the Blessed Mother as patron whether he/she takes the name of Mary, Maria, Marie, Maura, etc. Likewise, one is permitted to choose a feminine form of a masculine saint’s name, or vice versa. Some examples would be Francis/Frances, Michael/Michelle, John/Jean, Paul/Paula, etc. The most important factor in choosing a name is that it belongs to a Christian witness whom the candidate can emulate and with whom he/she can relate.
United in the Faith,
Kathleen Rohan
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
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