The first round of Confirmations has started with about 5000 students being confirmed in the coming few months.
Everyone remembers their Confirmation. It’s a time when young adults stand up and take ownership of their faith journey.
In addition to receiving the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord – a Confirmation name must be selected.
By choosing a saint’s name, you’re asking him or her to pray for you in a special way. But with thousands of saints to choose from it can be a daunting task for children.
So whether it’s a favourite saint, a popular saint, one that is selected for their heroic deeds or even one from a Confirmation name generator (yes, it does exist), your Confirmation name is something that is for life.
What names are trending in 2018?
While times have changed and relatively unknown saints including Hedwig, Adjutor, Rafqa and Adela have been selected, it’s the old favourites that still remain the most popular.
Here is a list of the Top 10 Confirmation names selected in 2018:
Boys:
- Patrick
- Francis
- John
- Anthony
- Joseph
- Michael
- Peter
- Christopher
- Andrew
- James
Girls:
- Therese
- Elizabeth
- Clare
- Catherine
- Teresa
- Rose
- Mary MacKillop
- Mary
- Cecilia
- Bernadette
And just in case you were curious ….
Saint Hedwig: The patroness of Silesia, a region of eastern Europe, she died in a Cistercain convent, having taken vows. Hedwig was born in Bavaria, Germany, the daughter of the Duke of Croatia and Dalmatia. At age 12, Hedwig married Duke Henry of Silesia, the head of the Polish Royal family. She bore him seven children, and they had a happy marriage. Henry founded a Cistercain convent at Trebnitz, as well as hospitals and monasteries. Henry died in 1238 and Hedwig became a Cistercain at Trebnitz. She died in the convent on October 15. Many miracles were reported after her death, and she was canonised in 1266.
Saint Adjutor: Born in Vernon, France, where he was made a knight in the First Crusade, he is credited to be the patron saint of swimmers, boaters, and drowning victims, and is the patron saint of Vernon, France. The stories given for his patronage of boaters vary. Some state that he was captured by Muslims in The Crusade, who tried to force him to abandon his faith, and when refusing, he escaped persecution by swimming. He swam back to France and entered the Abbey of Trion. There he became a recluse until his death.
Saint Rafqa: Also known as Saint Rafka and Saint Rebecca, she was a Lebanese Maronite nun who was canonised by Pope John Paul II on June 10, 2001. St. Rafqa spent 26 years in the monastery of St. Simon. Ill health had left her in unbearable pain. She lost the sight in her left eye and suffered a dislocation of her clavicle and her right hip and leg. Her vertebrae were visible through her skin. She is the Patron Saint of sufferers.
Saint Adela: A Benedictine noblewoman, Adela was the wife of Count Baldwin V of Flanders. When the count died, she entered the Benedictines, receiving the habit from Pope Alexander II. Retiring to the Benedictine convent near Ypres, Adela served as a nun until her death.