What if you don't have a confirmation saint?

[Catlick]

Two years ago I received the sacrament of confirmation. Some time later I discovered the widespread tradition of adopting a patron saint at confirmation. Apparently just about every Catholic I know has done this. But when I worked towards confirmation, neither the diocese (very progressivist bishop) nor the priest guiding me (he was Opus Dei) told me about adopting a confirmation saint. A pity, I somehow feel out in the cold without such a saint. So, can I still adopt one, and if so, how should I do it? 

[Credo in Deum]

Yes, you can still adopt a saint.  You would just pick the saint you want to have as your confirmation saint and then practice a special devotion towards them.  You can try contacting your parish priest to see if they can have the saint's name added to your confirmation certificate.  I took St. Peter as mine.

[veritasluxmea]

What name were you confirmed under? If it's a saint's name, that would technically be your confirmation saint. If it wasn't, then I'd just follow Credo's advice. Find someone your favorite saint and call them your patron saint, done. 

[puellapaschalis]

Ik weet niet of je in België of Nederland bent, @Catlick, maar ik weet uit ervaring dat het simpelweg niet gebruikelijk is om een patroonheilige aan te nemen met het vormsel in Nederland; in plaats daarvan krijgt men veule namen bij de doop. Of dit van oudsher is, of een 'recente' (tsja...) ontwikkeling is, weet ik ook weer niet (maar mn vermoeden is dat laatste, want bij de tradi vormsels die ik gezien heb, hebben de vormselingen zo'n naam wél aangenomen).

Verder: ja, wat de anderen zeiden. Kies maar.

[dUSt]

Ik weet niet of je in België of Nederland bent, @Catlick, maar ik weet uit ervaring dat het simpelweg niet gebruikelijk is om een patroonheilige aan te nemen met het vormsel in Nederland; in plaats daarvan krijgt men veule namen bij de doop. Of dit van oudsher is, of een 'recente' (tsja...) ontwikkeling is, weet ik ook weer niet (maar mn vermoeden is dat laatste, want bij de tradi vormsels die ik gezien heb, hebben de vormselingen zo'n naam wél aangenomen).

Verder: ja, wat de anderen zeiden. Kies maar.

Gesundheit!

[puellapaschalis]

Gesundheit!

​Je moet dan wel de juíste taal kiezen he.

[Catlick]

Puella, thanks for the answer, but I think it's more polite to conduct the conversation in English

If I can pick any saint I like, I'm bothered by the fact that my devotion to saints fluctuates. There was this period when I had to make a very difficult choice, St. Ignatius of Loyola was important to me in these months. When trying to fit Catholicism in daily life, St. Francis de Sales helped me alot... I hope that I won't choose a saint whom I won't have much in common anymore after 10 years.

Well, maybe I should stop whining and start building up perseverance for a lifelong devotion to a saint

[puellapaschalis]

I've emigrated, I have to keep practising (zegt ze, terwijl ze op een Nederlandse hotelkamer zit) (en bovendien is het goed voor de meesten om wat werk te moeten doen ).

My experience was that I saw the parts of my life which were important to me and picked the saints with patronage in that area. Those activities haven't always had the same significance in the years since, they're not about to give up on me and there's no reason to give up on them either. At the end of the day it's not something to crack your head open about; they're all saints and as such their intercession is powerful. Others will surely pop in (and perhaps out) of your life afterwards, and there's nothing untoward about that either.

[AccountDeleted]

Two years ago I received the sacrament of confirmation. Some time later I discovered the widespread tradition of adopting a patron saint at confirmation. Apparently just about every Catholic I know has done this. But when I worked towards confirmation, neither the diocese (very progressivist bishop) nor the priest guiding me (he was Opus Dei) told me about adopting a confirmation saint. A pity, I somehow feel out in the cold without such a saint. So, can I still adopt one, and if so, how should I do it? 

​I was in pretty much the same situation. I went through Baptism, Confirmation and First Holy Communion at the same time - a Christmas Midnight Mass. I was told to pick a name for my Confirmation but no one explained why or what it was all about. I had a couple of favorite saints at the time but they were male names so I chose a female name of a saint who was ok, but nothing special to me. Her name went on my Certificate of Baptism and Confirmation.

Later, when I understood more about Confirmation and saints, I realized that I didn't choose wisely. But that's ok. Even though I don't have a very special relationship with my Confirmation saint, I still admire her. And I have close relationships with a couple of other saints anyway, so I don't worry about it. Holy is holy.