While it’s not required, many Catholic parents choose to name their children after saints:
The Apostles’ Creed says that we believe in the communion of saints. This means we are spiritually united with those who have died and are now in heaven. They can act as intercessors — they have the ability to assist us and pray for us.
By choosing a saint’s name you acknowledge this fact and ask a particular saint to assist you in bringing up the child; the saint becomes the child’s patron and a role model for the child.
Believing that these holy ones are in heaven praying for us on earth, parents ask for the saint’s prayers for their child and look to the saint as a role model and example for their child.
But our kids might not know much about their saintly friend. While the saint may have significance to us parents, do our kids know in whose honor they were named, and why we chose this person to be their namesake and patron?
If you’re one of the many Catholic parents who name their child after a saint in heaven, here are 3 easy yet effective ways to encourage your child’s friendship with their special saint.
1Ask their saint for prayers in moments of stress
The simplest step is the easiest: We can model for our child the habit of calling on the saint’s helpful intercession.
Kiddo feeling nervous before a big sports game or spelling test? “Let’s ask your special saint for help right now. St. So-and-so, please pray for us to feel calm and confident before this big thing. Please ask God to send us the peace that only Jesus can give.”
Scared at bedtime or school drop-off? "Want to ask your saint to stay with you and protect you? Jesus, please keep St. So-and-so right beside us all day long, so we know we are never alone."
Few things bring a child more peace in life than knowing that they are surrounded by an invisible army of heavenly helpers ready to send aid at any moment!
2Celebrate your child’s saint’s feast day
A beloved tradition I’ve brought from my own childhood is celebrating my children’s “saint’s days” with a special dinner or dessert.
When I was a kid, my dad would ask each child to share some facts about our patron saint with the rest of the family on our feast day. This little tradition was a fun way for all of us to learn about each other’s saints, and especially our own patron.
3Share books, images and and videos about your child’s saint
A quick internet search pulls up an array of short and entertaining videos about practically any saint you can think of. Similarly, you can find a children’s book that mentions just about every saint out there.
Enjoying one of these books or videos together is a perfect feast day activity. My kids love when I pull up a short saint movie or print a coloring page for a saint’s day.
Meanwhile, for every day, it’s helpful to keep an image of your child’s patron saint close at hand. Each of my children has an icon of their saint by their bedside, and my older kids each have a Tiny Saints charm of their saint that they love to keep on their backpacks. These are little daily reminders of their special friend in heaven.
