Saints and Saint Names

“When God calls someone by name, he also reveals to the person his vocation, his plan of holiness and fulfilment, through which the person becomes a gift to others and is made unique. And when God wants to expand the horizons of life, he gives a new name to the person he is calling, as he did with Simon, whom he called “Peter”. From here comes the custom of taking a new name... to indicate a new identity and mission. Since the divine call is unique and personal, we need the courage to disentangle ourselves from the pressure of being shaped by conforming patterns, so that our life can truly become an authentic and irreplaceable gift to God, to the Church and to all.

Dear young people, to be called by name is therefore a sign of our great dignity in the eyes of God and a sign of his love for us. God calls each one of you by name. All of you are the “you” of God, precious in his eyes, worthy of respect and loved (cf. Is 43:4). Welcome with joy this dialogue that God offers you, this appeal he makes to you, calling you by name.”

(Pope Francis, 33rd World Youth Day, §2)

It's an old Catholic tradition to take a saint name (or the name of a virtue) at your baptism or confirmation.  Basically, Baptism is your birth into a new life; so, people often take a new name.  Likewise, Confirmation is your being strengthened by God to fulfill your mission in life, and in the Bible, when God gives people a mission, he also often gives them a new name.  This name expresses your identity, not primarily because of your mission, but because of God's eternal idea of you:

God calls me and sends me forth as a labourer in his vineyard. He calls me and sends me forth to work for the coming of his Kingdom in history. This personal vocation and mission defines the dignity and the responsibility of each member of the lay faithful and makes up the focal point of the whole work of formation, whose purpose is the joyous and grateful recognition of this dignity and the faithful and generous living-out of this responsibility.

In fact, from eternity God has thought of us and has loved us as unique individuals. Every one of us he called by name, as the Good Shepherd "calls his sheep by name" (Jn 10:3). However, only in the unfolding of the history of our lives and its events is the eternal plan of God revealed to each of us. Therefore, it is a gradual process; in a certain sense, one that happens day by day.

To be able to discover the actual will of the Lord in our lives always involves the following: a receptive listening to the Word of God and the Church, fervent and constant prayer, recourse to a wise and loving spiritual guide, and a faithful discernment of the gifts and talents given by God, as well as the diverse social and historic situations in which one lives.

Therefore, in the life of each member of the lay faithful there are particularly significant and decisive moments for discerning God's call and embracing the mission entrusted by Him. Among these are the periods of adolescence and young adulthood. No one must forget that the Lord, as the master of the labourers in the vineyard, calls at every hour of life so as to make his holy will more precisely and explicitly known. Therefore, the fundamental and continuous attitude of the disciple should be one of vigilance and a conscious attentiveness to the voice of God. (Christifideles laici, 58)

We don't want to name ourselves--that's not how names work--but you might discern that God is calling you by a new name, maybe the name of a saint that you connect with.  As part of your discernment process (of your name and your mission in life), it's a good idea to get to know the saints!  

Here are some good resources where you can find information about different saints:

• http://www.catholic.org/saints/
• http://www.catholic-saints.info/
• http://www.catholictradition.org/Saints/saints.htm

I'm sure there are more!

Taking a Baptism or Confirmation name is not required and does not replace your given name.  In fact, I'd recommend you include in your discernment a reflection on the meaning of your given name and how it already calls on some essential aspect of your identity and mission.

If you would like to take a new name at Baptism or Confirmation, please let me know soon!  I would love to know, not only the name you want to take, but how you connect with that name.