Why Do Catholics Do THAT?!

The wide-world of Catholicism is full of many wonderful (Joyful?) mysteries. Fortunately, there are a lot of answers out there if you care to do some digging.

If you are reading this newsletter, there is a good chance you are at least acquainted with a nun or a sister or two. Female clergy are an absolute treasure in our Church, but for many people (myself included) not much is known about their daily lives.

As I was researching a different article for this newsletter, I read about a nun named Sister Peter Thomas. Clearly, this sister is female, and presumably, her parents didn’t name her Pete when she was born, so how and why did she get that name? I was curious.

So, I started poking around. I tried calling Pope Francis directly - you know, get it straight from the horse’s mouth - but he hasn’t been returning my calls lately, so I settled for the internet.

In only a few minutes, I found the following examples of nuns with male names. Some of them elected to have two male names, while others mixed a male and a female name. Here is what I found:

• Sister Mary Michael

• Sister Robert Joseph

• Sister Catherine Dominick

• Sister Kevin John

• Sister Mary Roger

• Sister Paul James

(Bonus: I even found a nun online with the name Sister George Michael, but she is a fictional character from a TV show, so I don’t know if I should really count that!) “You Gotta Have Faith, Faith, Faith”!

Note: the second name in these above cases are NOT surnames. They’re more like a first and middle name combo.

It seems that ever since Vatican II in the 1960s, most nuns have been able to choose their own religious names. Before then, they were assigned their names by someone in authority of their community.

The idea of choosing a new name signifies their commitment to God by starting a new life in Him. It’s similar to how children pick a new name when they are confirmed in the Church or how a Pope will choose a new name upon his election.

If the nun/sister (there is a difference) does wish to take a new name and has the freedom to do so, there are many options to choose from. But, ever since Vatican II, choosing a religious name is not necessary, unless a particular community requires it. Many nuns today choose to keep their birth name or their baptismal name.

According to the website of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the following are just a few of the categories open for inspiration:

• Derivations of the name Mary: such as Maria, Marie, or Miriam

• Marian titles: such as Madonna, Immaculata or Concepta

• Modern saint names: such as Isabella, Catherine, or Elizabeth

• Older saint names: such as Gorgonia, Darerca, or Eubula

• Ethnic names: such as Wolfsindis, Benno, or Alruna

• Bible and Catholic doctrine: The archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel

• Latin words: such as Charitas (charity), Gratia (grace), or Humilitas (humility)

So, going back to the saint-inspired names: if a sister feels particularly close to a male saint, she may definitely choose that as her religious name. In the case of Sister Peter Thomas, I’m guessing she felt a closeness to both St. Peter and St. Thomas.

I do not know this for a fact, but in my research, I read in several articles that choosing a male saint’s name is not as common as it once was. Perhaps that is a result of changing societal views on gender equality. Maybe not. Maybe it’s just viewed as old-fashioned. But the tradition is certainly not dead, as Sister Peter Thomas is still quite young.

Anyway, it’s just a personal preference, but I quite like this tradition. It does remind me that these consecrated women have made a life-long commitment to Christ, and that sets them apart from other women - other people - in a very powerful way.

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