Sometimes people ask me whether we are allowed to choose our own religious name or if one is chosen for us. To this I generally respond that for us, the answer is YES to both. YES, we choose our own name. We are not blindly given a name by a superior, but the superior obviously must agree to the name that we choose. However, YES, our name is chosen for us, because it is ultimately God who chooses the name for us—although, it is up to us to be attentive and sincere enough to accept what He has in mind. Allow me to demonstrate this with an example: This is how I understood which name the Lord wanted for me…
When I was in my year of postulancy, I and the other American sisters in formation stayed in Italy for 3 months to spend time with our religious community there. One day, I was in conversation with our Co-Foundress, Sr. Veronica, and something I said reminded her of the mystical marriage of St. Catherine (Caterina, in Italian) of Siena with Jesus.
During prayers the next morning, Sr. Veronica had a thought: Maybe Caterina would be a beautiful name for me. At that moment, we got to a place in the Canticle of Isaiah 62 that reads, “You will be called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of God.” She mentioned this after prayers when we were sharing what touched our hearts. I, on the other hand, was a little confused because I already had an idea of what I wanted my name to be, and Caterina was not it. Actually, the name Caterina never even crossed my mind! Sr. Veronica was open to hearing my reasoning for choosing the other name, but she remained convinced that Caterina suited me better; she suggested I pray about it and see if the Lord would give any indication of which name He preferred for me. I, of course, immediately acted upon her recommendation not only because she was the co-foundress/servant mother general of our community, but also because I sensed a strange peace in my heart when she declared how the name suited me.
That morning, I set about praying! Not exactly sure how to go about it, I first went online and looked up the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena to see if it was a date important to me, but her birthday came up instead—March 25: the Feast of the Annunciation. A beautiful date, but I wanted to know about her feast day, not her birthday, so I tried to search again, but I accidentally closed out of the internet. Taking a moment to reflect, I thought, “Maybe the Lord is wanting me to reflect on the Annunciation…Maybe this is a little announcement for me.”
I shared this episode with the sisters at lunch, and they were impressed, but they suggested I continue praying. So, once again, I set about praying: Which name, Lord? Caterina, or the other one? I took a nap that afternoon and the entire time, it sounded like a broken record in my head— “Caterina, Caterina, Caterina…” It was something I couldn’t control! Was it a hint from the Lord or just my imagination? I needed something more concrete…
That evening, we went to Mass at the cathedral, and we sat in the first few pews. I was desperate for a strong, powerful confirmation from the Lord! So, I became bold with Him: without looking around first, I closed my eyes and prayed, “If there is an image of St. Catherine of Siena within my view without even turning my head, I will know that this is the name You want for me.” Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes, and THERE SHE WAS! In my peripheral vision, on the ceiling to the right of the sanctuary was an image of St. Catherine of Siena! I had my confirmation from the Lord—Caterina would be my name!
But the Lord is generous and merciful…In case I were to think that maybe I had known about the image beforehand or doubted the sign in some way, He gave me another—even clearer— one!
There was a reception following Mass, and we sisters were about to head back to the convent as things were finishing up when one of our friars who spoke English came up to me to greet me. Several days beforehand, he had asked me what religious name I wanted to take, and I told him one I was thinking about at the time. Since then, he had been unofficially calling me by that name. When he came up to me, he wanted to call me by this name, but he forgot what it was! I was in a rush to leave, but he insisted on trying to remember. After a few moments of debating in his mind, he exclaimed, “Caterina! Caterina! ... Wait…no, no, that’s not right…It was…” to which I dumbfoundedly interrupted as I scurried off, “Yes…Yes! It is Caterina! I will explain later!” There is NO WAY he could have known that… I had only discussed the possibility of that name only with the sisters, not the friars. Nobody had told them about it, and I had only officially made the decision as Mass was starting. Not even the sisters knew about it yet!
So, did I choose my own name?
Yes. As much as I loved the other name, I found much more peace with this one.
But was the name chosen for me?
Absolutely. The name never even crossed my mind until my superior recommended it. Through that, I was able to understand that it was ultimately the Lord who was the one suggesting it to me.
--Sr. CMA