Religious Names

[MissScripture]

On my 5 1/2 hour drive alone I had an awful lot of time to think, and with Catholic radio in the background, I thought a lot about Catholic things. Well, my dad had been talking last night to his confirmation class about how changing names is a sign of a covenant --like, in the Bible when Abram went to Abraham, or in confirmation when you take a new name, or when my sister takes her vows she will recieve a new name. And that led me to think about how my grandparents have issue with the whole new name idea, and have said they don't want to call her by her new name, and don't understand why she "needs" a new name. But I know, also, that a lot of their difficulty with things like this is because their exposure so Sisters has been largely on the un-habited, women-should-be-priests type of Sisters, who don't change their names. Anyway, this got me to wondering about two things: 1) Do the majority of orders still change their names? Is this something that can vary within an order based off of the Motherhouse? Is this actually connected with wearing or not wearing a habit --like are the orders that wear habits generally going to change their names, and the orders that do not wear habits not going to change their names? 2) I know of many Sisters who HAD changed their names prior to Vatican II and then changed them back to their baptismal names after Vatican II. Was there actually something done or said during Vatican II to bring this change about? Or is it one of those "Spirit of Vatican II" things where they really shouldn't have changed their names back?

[CatherineM]

The very progressive nun that used to be our pastoral associate had changed her name prior to Vatican II, but changed it back later. She had been a Sr. Mary something, and then changed it back to her given name of Bev.

[TeresaBenedicta]

I don't think I've met any unhabited sisters that go by a religious name. On the other hand, I do know of a few habited sisters who do-- the Salesian Sisters, and some Sisters of Life.

[Klaudi87]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' timestamp='1288899669' post='2184854']
I don't think I've met any unhabited sisters that go by a religious name. On the other hand, I do know of a few habited sisters who do-- the Salesian Sisters, and some Sisters of Life.
[/quote]

Yep Im thinking they are related. It kinda dosent make sense to have a name change but not an exterior change (habit) or vice versa.

[CatherineM]

I remember being in school when the nuns started shedding the habit, and I remember some that changed their names back too. Sr. Peter Claver became Sr. Renee. Doesn't sound as scary.

[linnie]

I know quite a few Benedictine (and Holy Cross) Sisters who no longer wear habits. They have retained the names they received when they became sisters.

Edited November 4, 2010 by linnie

[MissScripture]

[quote name='linnie' timestamp='1288901047' post='2184875']
I know quite a few Benedictine (and Holy Cross) Sisters who no longer wear habits. They have retained the names they received when they became sisters.
[/quote]
Yeah, I know a few Sisters who have retained their names but shed the habit (they individually got to chose if they wanted to or not, as well as chosing if they wanted to wear the habit or not), but I don't know if they give a name when new Sisters make vows.

[regina_coeli]

I went to school with the Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ) back before the modified habit, and they never changed their names. If your parents named you "Claire Kelly" you became Mother Claire Kelly, if you were a choir nun. They still had lay sisters as well. When they changed to the modified habit, they were all addressed as sister.

[Sister Andrew]

In my community we add a name to our baptismal name. So if you are Jane, when you make first vows you could be Sr. Jane Marie(or whatever your profession name might be!) For profession I chose the name Andrew and technically my full profession name includes my baptismal name but I've chosen to go by just Sr. Andrew.
Before Vatican II all of our Sisters took Mary plus another name at profession. The reason for the change. as it was explained to, me was that while profession is an amazingly beautiful thing and a profession name is meaningful because of many of the reasons listed in the first post we also need to remember the promises made in our baptism because the call to religious life has really originated there and is a deeper calling of our own baptismal call (does that make sense? I''m having a hard time typing it out to sound clear!)
On a side note I love my profession name. Being called Andrew reminds me of my consecration and my desire to follow the example of St. Andrew!

peace!

[MissScripture]

[quote name='Andrew' timestamp='1288962818' post='2185114']
In my community we add a name to our baptismal name. So if you are Jane, when you make first vows you could be Sr. Jane Marie(or whatever your profession name might be!) For profession I chose the name Andrew and technically my full profession name includes my baptismal name but I've chosen to go by just Sr. Andrew.
Before Vatican II all of our Sisters took Mary plus another name at profession. The reason for the change. as it was explained to, me was that while profession is an amazingly beautiful thing and a profession name is meaningful because of many of the reasons listed in the first post we also need to remember the promises made in our baptism because the call to religious life has really originated there and is a deeper calling of our own baptismal call (does that make sense? I''m having a hard time typing it out to sound clear!)
On a side note I love my profession name. Being called Andrew reminds me of my consecration and my desire to follow the example of St. Andrew!

peace!
[/quote]
Do you know what prompted the change? I mean, I know you said why your order has chosen to change it, but do you know what was said/done (if anything) at the Council that would've prompted them to think of making this change? Or was it just that everything happened to be changing about that time, so they decided to make this change, too?
Sorry for all the questions, I'm really just curious. For whatever reason it had never occurred to me before, but now that I thought of these questions, I find them really interesting. lol

[Sister Marie]

There are some real practical concerns with changing ones name. In my community we receive a religious name that usually includes our baptismal name and a form of Mary plus another name if we desire. I'm Sister Marie my baptismal name and a saint name. I like it that way but the reason we don't change names anymore has a lot to do with things like voter registration, social security benefits, health care coverage, and citizenship. It becomes increasingly difficult to get passports and other legal documents and educational documents the more names you have. So on all my health care, social security, and other official documents I am just my baptismal name. However, people see me in my habit and know to call me Sister. As far as I'm concerned that is the only part of my name that matters to me. [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/nunpray.gif[/img]

[HopefulBride]

[quote name='Sister Marie' timestamp='1288972919' post='2185162']
There are some real practical concerns with changing ones name. In my community we receive a religious name that usually includes our baptismal name and a form of Mary plus another name if we desire. I'm Sister Marie my baptismal name and a saint name. I like it that way but the reason we don't change names anymore has a lot to do with things like voter registration, social security benefits, health care coverage, and citizenship. It becomes increasingly difficult to get passports and other legal documents and educational documents the more names you have. So on all my health care, social security, and other official documents I am just my baptismal name. However, people see me in my habit and know to call me Sister. As far as I'm concerned that is the only part of my name that matters to me. [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/nunpray.gif[/img]
[/quote]

I didn't think about that... So now I am wondering when it comes to official document do the sisters sign with their full religious names or just their baptismal names?

[CatherineM]

How do you handle changing your names on things like your driver's licenses?

[TeresaBenedicta]

[quote name='CatherineM' timestamp='1288978340' post='2185191']
How do you handle changing your names on things like your driver's licenses?
[/quote]

I asked this same question to my future community. Apparently they don't legally change their names. So their drivers licenses still have their baptismal names. Birth certificates, passports, etc. All keep baptismal/legal names. But they have a religious name and that's what they go by for the most part. They just don't legally change it.

[ksterling]

One of my friends once told me she had a nun who was Sr. Ethel Agnes and when the community went to original names became Sr. Amy.