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How does a nun receive her name?

SUMMER 2018

FIRST, LET'S ADDRESS BASIC TERMINOLOGY. In the Church, we use the term religious to describe what the lay person calls a sister or a nun (or, for that matter, a monk). Nun refers to a “contemplative religious” who lives a cloistered life of devotion and prayer, and sister to an “apostolic religious” whose community does direct service in the outside world. Both are addressed as “Sister.”

Before the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), which took place in the 1960s, a nun or sister was given a new name when she entered a religious community. This might be a saint’s name (Sr. Mary Agnes) or the name of one of Our Lady’s feasts (Sr. Immaculata), or a title of Jesus (Sr. Mary Francis of the Holy Redeemer). Sometimes she chose her own name; sometimes a name was chosen for her.

After Vatican II, religious were urged to renew and update their missions. The Vatican Council documents stressed the importance of the name we receive at baptism, as that is the name by which we are first called into the life of Christ. Many religious were offered the option of returning to their baptismal name, and many changed back, while others chose to keep the name taken by them in their community.

Today, the use of baptismal names is widespread, but there are still many who receive a religious name upon entering a community. Regardless of the form of our names, we are all devoted to the Lord.