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Our Lady of the Rosary

Catholic Church, Blackfen

Saints

St Edmund Campion

Saints on the Internet

The Internet has many sites that are dedicated to saints. I have listed some below that will be helpful and interesting.

Choosing a patron saint for Confirmation

During the Confirmation ceremony, the Bishop addresses each candidate by their "Confirmation Name". This may be your existing baptismal name if this is the name of a saint.

Most candidates choose a new Confirmation name and this also must be the name of a saint. The important thing is that you know something about the saint and pray to that saint for help and guidance.

A name in the family

In countries with a strong Catholic tradition, some names have become very popular and may be popular in your family. If you want to take such a name, it is a good opportunity to find out about the saint and the traditions associated with him or her. Sometimes, these may be saints about whom little is known historically.

Common names

If you choose a name such as John, James, Catherine or Maria, you should know which saint you are choosing - there are many Saints called by these names.

Starting from scratch

A good way to start is to find a book in the library or to look up a list of saints on the Internet and find a saint whose life you find interesting and attractive.

Men and Women

A question that gets asked every year is "Can a girl choose for her Confirmation patron a saint who was a man rather than a woman?" The answer is "Yes".

We don't usually get asked whether a boy could choose a saint who was a woman but that would be all right, too.

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