Q. What are the rules for choosing Confirmation name? I feel like I always hear different answers. Can you use the name of a Blessed? What about Mary?
A. There is a long, long tradition of receiving a new name at a moment of important spiritual change. There are numerous examples in the Old Testament—such as Jacob becoming Israel, as well as in the New Testament—such as Simon becoming Peter. These new names coincide with a new mission or commissioning from God.
It is no wonder, then, that this practice continues in the Church today. Religious sisters and brothers, depending on the norms of their communities, take new names denoting their new status in the Church as well as their new mission. Upon election as the Bishop of Rome the new Holy Father is asked, “By what name shall you be called?” at which point he customarily chooses a regnal name by which he will be called as he carries out his new mission. In the ancient Church, there was at least some practice of adults taking a new name at the time of baptism, though this was not a universal practice.
The only current legal requirement around names in the Church is c. 855 of the Code of Canon Law, which states that at the time of baptism, “Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to take care that a name foreign to Christian sensibility is not given.”
This is a relaxation from the 1917 Code which required only Christian names (names of saints or virtues) could be used and, if the parents did not provide one, the priest baptizing the child would. The giving of a Christian name apart from a legal name is more common in areas in which Christian names are not already culturally normative names, such as East Asia, although as western culture has become less Christian, it is possible this practice could see a resurgence.
While the Church foresees the possibility that a Christian name could be taken by an adult at the time of his or her baptism, She left that determination up to episcopal conferences. In the United States, the decision was made to not have adults taken a Christian name when they are baptized.
The taking of a Confirmation name in honor of a patron saint also varies by region, being more common in the U.S. and other western countries than in other parts of the world. It is a custom, meaning that there is no legal or liturgical requirements governing this practice. So to answer the question, there are no rules. Dioceses may have their own local policies, but I think in general dioceses opt for providing guidance rather than establishing rules.
Care and prayer should be put into choosing a Confirmation name. The purpose behind the custom is to encourage the one being confirmed to develop or strengthen a devotion to a particular saint by taking the saint’s name. A person should reflect on the lives of saints and see if a particular saint’s story or experience resonates with them and if they feel that their own path to Heaven can be helped along by being inspired and supported by that saint.
This is, of course, easier said then done. I know for myself when I chose my confirmation saint it was because my middle name is John and John Neumann was the third John in the saints book my teacher gave me. John the Apostle and John the Baptist were too mainstream for me, and that is as much thought as I put into it. God knew what He was doing though, as I would eventually go to seminary in Philadelphia, the city where St. John Neumann served as archbishop and is interred. His patronage has been a great source of consolation in my life in ways I could have never foreseen.
I share this story to encourage anyone who, like me, did not put much thought into a confirmation saint, to remember it is never too late to develop that devotion. Even if we aren’t paying much attention to saints, you can be sure they are paying attention to us and praying for us all the time.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
