How does a nun get her name

This is done out of respect to the saint who had the name first and is a way of invoking their patronage and protection. This could be a saint who was influential in the particular order of nuns or brothers to which they belong, or it could be instead a saint to which the nun or brother has a special devotion.

There have been previous instances in the Church of nuns becoming pregnant, but in some cases, this was not after consensual sex. A woman who has been married and divorced must have her marriage annulled within the church, he said, and, if she is a mother, her children must be old enough to not be her dependents. Widows can become nuns but have different criteria, he said. Priests, nuns, and monks take a vow of celibacy when they are initiated into the Church.

Thus, celibacy is not the same as virginity. It is voluntary, and it can be practiced by those who have had intercourse before. Celibates can always go back to being sexually active. She was joking—but, seriously, what an image! First Profession marks the beginning of my life bound to Christ and the real race for his glory.

Everyone is on the edge of their seats at the moment in the Mass when the novice formator calls the new names of the sisters. But this year, Sr. Carly and Sr. Chelsea went easy on the sisters. Their names were easy to spell and pronounce. I am still getting used to their names. I sent Sr. My nickname is an inside joke between the novices because they had jokingly guessed I would choose the name Areopagus.

Anyway, Sr. Chelsea and Sr. Carly have allowed me to share with you the beautiful reflections they wrote about the names they have chosen. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. I feel very blessed to be always in St. Sundays at my home parish, St. Paul the Apostle I was surrounded by beautiful stain glass windows of St. It was in the year dedicated to Saint Paul that I started to more deeply discern my vocation.

Paul in my life. And my maternal great-grandfather was even from Malta; the image of Paul being bit by a snake and continuing to preach has always been deeply apart of me. I stand in awe and thanksgiving that in a very real tangible way I can thank Saint Paul for my gift of faith. Paul who will settle for nothing less that helping me along to this goal. It is exactly this mystery that Jesus wants to live radically in us to be St. Paul in Christ living and breathing today.

In asking for Sr. How is a religious name determined? In Scripture, there are many times when a person takes a new name. For example, Abram was given the name Abraham and Sarai the name Sarah Genesis 17 to indicate that God had called them to a new place in their relationship with God and in their role in human history.

Jesus called Simon to follow him and gave him a new name: Cephas which translates to Peter John Taking on a new name is also common in our Catholic sacramental tradition.