Faith in the Home: Celebrating Name Days

In this edition of Faith in the Home, Monica Underwood from St Etheldreda’s Church in Ely, explores the Catholic tradition of celebrating our Name Day – a meaningful way to honour the saint whose name we bear and who walks with us on our journey through life.

I was fortunate to receive from my parents the name of a great saint, despite growing up in an evangelical Christian home in which the communion of saints was not emphasised. It was my Catholic friends at university who first drew my attention to the patronage of St Augustine’s holy mother, whose prayers for her son’s conversion bore such precious fruit. And it was only on meeting my future husband’s devout family that I saw this link to our heavenly helpers being celebrated in concrete ways.

In anticipation of our first child, while discussing name choices we factored in the significance of the saint who would become her patron, alongside names which sounded beautiful or had a family connection. A name is a rich gift, full of meaning, and we settled on St Elizabeth Ann Seton, an American convert who founded schools. Each year on 4th January, we celebrate Lizzie and her saint together, and she looks forward to this date with excitement, like another birthday.

Name day celebrations can take many forms but often they include a cake or other sweet treat and a small religious gift of some kind – perhaps a book, icon, or rosary. A trip to daily mass or visit to the Blessed Sacrament is ideal, as well as prayers in the home. Families can choose the food, gifts, and decorations which fit their own saints and cultural heritage. And whether these celebrations are simple or more elaborate, it’s important to make them manageable. Feast days should be special, but not burdensome!

Such infusions of joyful devotion into the home make our beliefs real for our children.

O Saint Monica, lover of Christ and His Church, pray for us and for our children, that we may acquire heaven, joining with you, there, in offering constant and thankful praise to God. Amen.

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