How to Honor Our Lady in Your Baby’s Name| National Catholic Register
Since 1683, the Catholic Church has celebrated the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary every year on September 12th. A uniquely Catholic baby name advice service has suggestions for unique nicknames for little ones.
Since 1683, the Catholic Church has celebrated the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary every year on September 12th.
The celebration organized by Pope Innocent XI. officially instituted as a feast day for the universal Church, dates back to the early 15th century when Catholics in Spain began to commemorate the special grace, intercession and mediation of Mary.
For expectant parents, what better way to celebrate than by considering the numerous ways to honor the Mother of Our Lord on behalf of your baby?
Catholic baby naming service dedicated to Mary
Two Catholic mothers have committed exactly that to their vocation. Sancta Nomina – Latin for “sacred names” – is a uniquely Catholic baby name consulting service founded by Kate Towne, mother of seven and author of Catholic Baby Names For Girls And Boys: 250+ Ways To Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018).
Towne’s business, which operates entirely online through a blog format and social media channels, is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and the blog’s patron saint, St Anne.
With the help of Theresa Zoe Williams, who joined the Sancta Nomina team last year, the service helps Catholic parents choose their child’s name in a meaningful way that honors Mary or other saints.
250+ ways to honor Mary on behalf of a child
In an interview with CNA, Williams said her work in Sancta Nomina encouraged an even deeper devotion to Our Lady.
“I am often reminded in this work that Mary could not choose the name of her only child; she was told,” Williams said. “I try to help parents listen to God when naming their children, just like Mary did. In this way, Mary influences and watches over my work a lot, and it brings me closer to her.”
When requests for help come in, Williams and Towne share the responsibility of guiding parents through the process of finding a meaningful Catholic name for their baby.
Parents often wish to honor Mary on behalf of their child, but may not realize the many options open to them.
Towne’s book details more than 250 ways to honor Mary in a baby’s name — and some options might not be what you’d expect.
Sancta Nomina specializes in finding names that are deeply connected to Mary but are not immediately obvious at first glance.
For example, at one consultation, a couple asked for advice on naming their baby boy, conceived in response to an intercessory prayer of Our Lady of Lourdes.
“We both want a Marian devotion for this baby’s name,” the parents wrote, asking if there was a male name for a boy that honors Our Lady of Lourdes.
Williams recommended Laurence, the name of bishop in the region at the time of Our Lady of Lourdes apparitions, and Pius.
“[Three] Popes have ties to Our Lady of Lourdes,” Williams wrote in the consultation. “Pope Pius IX. approved the worship of the apparitions in Lourdes, Pope Pius X proclaimed the feast of the Immaculate Virgin of Lourdes, and Pope Pius XII. issued an encyclical on Lourdes for the 100th anniversary.”
Naming is the “biggest act”
Sancta Nomina takes into account families’ stylistic preferences and personal histories when conducting naming consultations. This gives parents the opportunity to honor Mary both implicitly and explicitly on behalf of their child.
“God works in our personal situations, even in naming,” Williams said.
Parents could use a derivation of Mary’s name or an unusual connection to her, Williams explained.
“It doesn’t have to be Maria, May or Mary; it doesn’t even have to be Miriam or Maren,” she said. Parents can think of a Marian place name, title, feast day, or even specific attributes of Our Lady.
Williams says one of her favorite suggestions from Towne’s book is to name a daughter “Ave,” as in Ave Maria.
“Also – for boys – I love ‘Carmelo’ for ‘Our Lady of Mount Carmel.’ It’s unique and not used very often.”
Williams says a female version could be “Carmine.”
“Nobody’s going to look at ‘Carmine’ and think, oh, Our Lady of Mount Carmel,” she said. “But you will know, and then you can tell a story. And what better way to share faith than with stories?”
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Catholics are called to venerate the name of Mary “because it belongs to her, Mother of God, most holy of creatures, Queen of heaven and earth, Mother of Mercy.”
Williams concluded: “To the honor [Mary] in a way, in our children’s names is the greatest thing we can give our children.”
LEARN MORE
You can follow Sancta Nomina here. Catholic Baby Names For Girls And Boys: 250+ Ways To Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018) is available at ShopMercy.org and Amazon.