posted
I have seen in literature many times somebody having to start using a "Christain" name, forcing them to either change their name or stop using a nickname. The only examples I can think of right now involve somebody either converting to Catholocism or going to a Catholic school.
In Catholocism, how important is it to have a "Christian" name? What does that even mean? Can a name become "Christian"?
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posted
I'm not sure if this answers your question, but when you're baptised, you need to be named after a saint.
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posted
There's a biblical reference to "receiving a new name"
When Catholics are confirmed, part of the ceremony is receiving a new name, usually of the subject's choosing, to ceremonially mark the spiritual rebirth. I don't know of anyone who "had to" use this name.
Edit: I chose my birth name-- James
and you don't have to be named for a saint to be baptized... it's just common practice. Confirmation names are usually saint's names, although I think it could be a still living, Catholic Sponsor's name as well...
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posted
It is traditional (though not at all required) to name children after saints*. It is not a requirment though, sometimes, the line between "traditional" and "required" do get blurry for us. Also, when kids go are confirmed they can pick a confirmation name, choosing a saint that has special meaning for them.
* or other things with Christian symbolism.
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posted
my explanation my not be 100%, but I think I have at least parts of the story, so here goes.
At baptism you are given your "christian name" nowadays if you are baptised as an infant it's generally just your name, though adult baptisms were given potentially different names in the past. In general this was a trend for Christians to always have "Christian" names (i.e. a name of a saint).
It's probably also related roughly to the practice of Priest's taking new names upon ordination (and I believe brothers and Sisters as well upon taking holy orders) where they would choose a new name from the list of saints names. Now, however (I think since Vatican 2) the practice isn't enforced quite the same all the time (or at least many don't go by the new name).
I suppose it could also refer to confirmation name (similarly a saint's name that you choose when you go through confirmation) and since adult baptism and confirmation can happen at near the same time they might be connected there.
sorry for the mostly incoherent poor attempt at an explanation. Basically the term has largely gone out of use, as has the practice that spawned it.
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posted
Also sometimes "Christian name" just means given name (as opposed to family name or nickname).
Could be someone in a school etc. would say something like, "use your Christian name" because she doesn't approve of a nickname.
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I know of no one who has used a Confirmation name in any manner whatsoever other than as part of the ceremony itself.
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posted
I had a friend who was born in Portugal, and her parents were required by law to include a saint's name in her name. So, sometimes what is traditional and required gets blurry because the government will make something that is normal traditional into something that is required.
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quote:It is traditional (though not at all required) to name children after saints*.
A priest refused to baptise my mum cos her parents didn't name her after a saint. But he just added a third name to the first two they chose and baptised her with that name. He was a small village priest though.
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posted
Our priest didn't have any problem baptising my daughter without any saints names. She's Leslie Jade. Now when we have a son one day, they may get a little upset with my husbands choice of Lee Danger. And my Mom my pass out by the baptismal font!
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posted
No. My full name, that I give for things, is Armand Jafar Patrick Squicky. Now, a lot of times, people just abbreviate the middle two to J-P, but it's important, with all the Armand Jafar Squickys out there, to take extra steps to identify yourself.
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quote:Originally posted by katharina: I had a friend who was born in Portugal, and her parents were required by law to include a saint's name in her name. So, sometimes what is traditional and required gets blurry because the government will make something that is normal traditional into something that is required.
Almost always a bad idea! That stikes me as an outrageous governmental intrusion.
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posted
aspectre, I don't think anyone would claim that actually using your confirmation name is terribly common, but it certainly happens occasionally.
Example: My mom technically has no middle name, so if a form actually requires one she puts her confirmation name.
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posted
it really comes down to what kmbboots said, that it's traditional but not technically required. But since tradition is such a strong part of particularly Catholic beliefs the two get intermixed sometimes more than they should. And I'm pretty sure the "tradition" would have started sometime during/after the middle ages when the majority of saint's names were already established.
Kama, I'd agree that this is one of those traditions which is more likely to actually be enforced than others (I've seen similar fusses raised in our parish) I'm still pretty sure that it's not an official rule.
That being said, (not that it's true in this case) I've known at least one priest that claimed a teenage girl was going to hell more-or-less directly because she was a girl. so just because it came out of the mouth of a priest doesn't mean it's gospel truth =p
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posted
In literature, it's probably English literature, and it means "first name." I suppose it's given at christening, though. (C of E, not Catholic, though.)
Many of my Catholic friends picked up a saint's name at confirmation? first Communion? I joined as an adult, and didn't get a new name.
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posted
It wasn't programmer lingo either. It was just a deliberate misspelling of inplode. It was a deliberate reference to H*R's "asplode", but I don't think that makes it a H*Rism.
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posted
It's sort of traditional that Catholics give their children a saint's name or a Biblical name at the time of their baptism. Later, at confirmation we choose the name of a saint that has special meaning for us, but in most cases, people don't actually use their confirmation names.
Up until fairly recently it was common among people in most forms of religious life (in the Catholic church) to change their name upon entering a religious community. I give tours at my monastery and am often asked if I had to changes my name.
In the old days, sisters and brothers had to change their names to signify the new life they were entering in the monastery. We no longer HAVE to change our names and most people (in our community) do not. It's been several years since someone has actually changed her name and even then she merely changed her middle name and not her full name. We believe that everybody is called to serve God at the time of their baptism in the same way that Jesus began his ministry at his baptism. We are all called to a particular vocation, whatever that may be. Because of this new theological idea, we feel that keeping our baptismal names is more significant... we don't begin a brand new life in the monastery, we are merely fulfilling the vocational call that we all receive at our baptism. Many of us formalize our names (I no longer use a shortened version of my name and I frequently go by my first and middle names) but we do not change our names anymore. Of course, we all already have a legitimate saint's name. It's important to have a saint name so that you have a "Name Day" or "Feast Day" on which to celebrate (as we don't do much for birthdays around here). I don't know if it would be the same if someone entered without a saint or biblical name.
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quote: It's sort of traditional that Catholics give their children a saint's name or a Biblical name at the time of their baptism. Later, at confirmation we choose the name of a saint that has special meaning for us, but in most cases, people don't actually use their confirmation names.
As part of that tradition my Mom, who was Catholic, gave me the middle name of Jason. When I was confirmed (back when I was till gunho about the religion I was raised with) I chose the name Patrick...partly because I'm 1/3 Irish and also my birthday is March 18th. So: Karl Jason Patrick Wolf
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