Does the Episcopal Church allow confirmation names?

[Ignatius the Hermit]

Considering the fact that the Anglican/Episcopal Church is an Apostolic Church, I am always compairing it with the Catholic and Orthodox Church. Noting the tradition of taking a Saint's name at confirmation, does anyone know if the Episcopal Church follows this practice as well?

 

[0-2Continuum]

I have seen this done, though it is not uniformly practiced.

 

[Yardstick]

I haven't seen it done. But I didn't see it done when I was a Roman Catholic either.

 

[Polycarp1]

As a formal addition to one's legal name? I don't think so.

As the choosing of a patron saint to identify with and emulate? Notice what my username on this (and every other message board but one*) is.





* The one, I use an account which matches the joint name under which my wife and I write, the board being affiliated with our host site -- though she doesn't "do" message boards, and only I respond to posts there.

 

[0-2Continuum]

As the choosing of a patron saint to identify with and emulate? Notice what my usernale on this (and every other message board but one*) is.

I should clarify that this is what I have seen practiced.

 

[Albion]

The Book of Common Prayer's Order of Confirmation makes several references to the Apostles having laid on hands as is done in the Confirmation rite, but there is no provision for the one being confirmed to take on a Confirmation name of a saint. By contrast, and as remember from my youth, taking a saint's name was always done in the Roman Catholic Church's Confirmation service.

 

[pmcleanj]

There is no formal rubric in the Book of Common Prayer directing or forbidding taking a confirmation name. There's no place in the Confirmation liturgy where anyone says something to the effect of "this is your new name".

On the other hand, there is also nothing specific to that effect in the Baptismal liturgy either, and it is a long-standing tradition for baptism candidates to take a baptismal name -- referring here to adult converts, since babies traditionally get their original name at baptism.

The outcome of this is, that candidates can indeed be given a formal addition to their legal name, but that it is generally done only if the confirmand explicitly requests it. Then the Bishop simply uses that new name when he or she lays hands on the confirmand to say "Defend O Lord this thy Servant N. with thy heavenly grace &tc..." and is recorded on the confirmation certificate.

Anne and Rachel both took confirmation names ("Faith" and "Abigail"), and take some satisfaction in adding the additional initial to their formal signatures, even though of course it has no legal governmental recognition. I wish I'd known the ropes well enough to explicitly request a new name when I was baptised and confirmed. It's an earthshaking thing, to suddenly become part of a new reality, a new person in Christ -- and the old name has been grown into the shape of the old person. It takes a long time to unmake and reshape an old name, and it chafes a lot in the meantime. There's less disjunction at the confirmation of a child reared within the Christian community, but it is still a big enough change to take on your adult vocation that a new name can help bolster the new self-image.

 

[Albion]

There is no formal rubric in the Book of Common Prayer directing or forbidding taking a confirmation name. There's no place in the Confirmation liturgy where anyone says something to the effect of "this is your new name".

On the other hand, there is also nothing specific to that effect in the Baptismal liturgy either, and it is a long-standing tradition for baptism candidates to take a baptismal name -- referring here to adult converts, since babies traditionally get their original name at baptism.

But in the Baptismal service, there is the explicit instruction given to the godparents, "Name this child." Nothing like that invitation is part of the Confirmation service.

I suppose it's safe to say that we agree that the practice of taking a new name in either service is acceptable but not requested or expected. I do know priests who will urge the taking of a Christian name in Baptism, but not in order for the child to have a "patron saint." I don't recall any case of a priest urging a new name for a confirmand.

 

[pmcleanj]

But in the Baptismal service, there is the explicit instruction given to the godparents, "Name this child."

Not in "Baptism of such as are of Riper Years: just a rubric saying "the Priest ... shall ask the Witnesses the Name". In North America, the name given is then usually the one the convert has gone by all his life. In Africa it's usually a new name taken from Scripture, and the priests do encourage the practice of taking a new name. But of course in those cases, confirmation is very often performed at the same service, so that again is an example of there being no explicit confirmation name.

As with so many things Anglican: Allowed yes, required no, practices vary.

 

[Ignatius the Hermit]

Thank you one and all for responses. What you wrote here is pretty much how I understood this tradition.