Religious Names

[Sponsa-Christi]

12 minutes ago, Lea said:

Well, a friend of mine is a novice with a community where they stick with their baptismal names. She is very happy with her name, Maria, and was glad to keep it when she entered. But alongside her there are 5 (or so...) other sisters named Sister Maria which can be quite impractical or even annoying in everyday life as well. 
 

"How do you solve a problem like 'Maria'..." LOL!  

[Nunsuch]

In the 19th century, when the rule was to take a religious name in many cases, AND not to have any duplicates, congregations with US provinces (headquartered in Europe) would assign letters to of the alphabet to the US sisters (or brothers) so that there wouldn't be duplicate names (even on different sides of the Atlantic). This was fine at first, but there are only so many names that begin, say, with A-E. [Letters for both the Sisters of the Holy Cross and the De la Salle Christian Brothers in the US.] Some results were far from desirable, at least by their recipients. 

[JHFamily]

Some use a combination of baptismal name with a newly chosen name. I think that's a nice touch.

[Lady Grey, Hot]

20 minutes ago, JHFamily said:

Some use a combination of baptismal name with a newly chosen name. I think that's a nice touch.

Looking at their website/Instagram, I think that's what the Mercedarians of the Blessed Sacrament do. One sister (I think born Katherine Marie and called Sr. Chiara) is listed in her email as Sr. K.M. Chiara. Or there are some sisters who apparently combine their baptismal name with a title - e.g. Sr. Tonia of the Heart of Jesus and Sr. Lourdes of the Holy Eucharist (colloquially known as Sr. Heart of Jesus and Sr. Eucharist respectively). I'd never seen these particular variations of choosing a name before.

[Lady Grey, Hot]

I've never come up with a definitive answer to this one (the stakes feel so high!), but I've run through any number of options in my head: Sr. Nicodemus, Sr. Magdalene More, Sr. Gethsemane, Sr. Miriam David (on general principle, I like Miriam if a variation on Mary is included), Sr. Electa, Sr. Basil, Sr. Stephen. A sister in a community near me recently took the name "Emmanuel" and I liked that. Sr. Five Wounds (mentioned somewhere previously) actually sounds pretty cool to me (maybe because I like the surname "Fivecoat"). I had a great aunt who, before she was Sr. Mary Daniel, had my first name, so I've sometimes thought if I became a sister that that would be a nice family tribute.

Also, kind of a funny story: I remember going to the nun graveyard at my aunt's alma mater. They were almost all Sr. Mary Something, so the "M." abbreviation was ubiquitous and the names on the stones were (if I recall correctly) in all capital letters. I distinctly remember seeing SISTER MALICE's stone and thinking she must have used her ruler quite liberally to earn a moniker like that

[gloriana35]

On 12/15/2021 at 7:12 PM, JHFamily said:

Some use a combination of baptismal name with a newly chosen name. I think that's a nice touch.

It was especially nice when Sisters could choose a patron, and have their baptismal name as a second name (though they'd be addressed by the first.) 

[Peace]

On 10/6/2021 at 5:12 PM, StrivingForSanctity said:

Hello all!
I enter the Postulancy next year, so I've been having a small think of what name I would like to eventually take. 
I really like 'Sr. Maria-Rose of the Sacred Heart'. 

I'm curious - If you were to enter the Religious Life, which name would you take?
 

My first dog was named Shadrach.

I'm just saying.

[chrysostom]

1 hour ago, Peace said:

My first dog was named Shadrach.

I'm just saying.

Hopefully you called your first cat Nebuchadnezzar.

[nikita92]

On 10/7/2021 at 7:11 AM, Feankie said:

if you do a search, there is a old thread that discusses this issue :))

 Yes! And here is just one of them!

Listed under this topic title

  *Religious Names And Orders*

Posted on January 2, 2009

[nikita92]

On 12/14/2021 at 12:31 PM, GraceUk said:

I think sister Polycarp must be the worst name ever. 

Personally...I think "Agatha" and "Agnus" and "Gertrude" are better suited for chicken names, than religious!  To me..there is nothing "holy" about them!

Just my opinion!

[gloriana35]

This is not related to religious names - it just made me smile. I know a young couple, where the wife is an Anglican priest, the husband, a very distinguished musician. For all of my love of liturgical music, I thought it unfortunate that they named their son "Tallis." Their daughter, more's the pity, is "Tabitha." My friend's cat is named that (the inside joke is "Tabby," of course) - I thought it wasn't a bad name... for  a cat! 

[magdalenepenitent]

I admit that I have a page written in pink gel pen of all the religious names I’ve considered, like a 12 year old girl with a crush writing her married name. Ultimately I know that Mother Superior chooses the name from my short list, but it’s fun brainstorming. I’d love to choose something related to Servant of God Léonie Martin, who I relate to heavily, but I don’t know if it would be approved since she’s not Ven. or St. yet—though her religious name was Françoise Thérèse, so I’ve written down a few variations on that. Except for my mother and siblings, every woman in my family has had Mary or some variation in their full name, and I could  honor them with Miriam or Marion (I personally ended up with a classic Mary in my name). 

[gloriana35]

Leonie is a popular name in France and Belgium. It is a feminine form of Leo - there would be no reason someone could not have that name in religion. 

[Credo in Deum]

I would ask my superior if they could have the brothers/friars throw their recommendations in a cowl and whichever one was picked, I would take it. 
 

I’m sure if it was the Franciscans they would write “Br Ass”! 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Credo in Deum