Why We Are Named After Saints

Why We Are Named After Saints
by Dannielle Ingalls & Vasiliki Oldziey

The Saints of the Orthodox Church are our heroes.  They are the people whom we look up to and model ourselves after.  We are named after Saints so that we will have good role models of our lives.  The Saint for whom we are named after is called our Patron Saint.  On the feast day of our Saint we should attend church services if they are held that day or the next Sunday following that feast day and receive Holy Communion.  Many Orthodox Christians celebrate their "namedays" in place of their birthdays.  Their "namedays" are the feast days of their patron saint.  On this day they go to church for the special services celebrating their saint.  They then go to their homes and have parties offering sweets to all their friends and relatives who come to wish them "many years."

With the help of your parents or godparents, you can find out about your Patron Saint and learn what they did to earn sainthood.  Then you can decide how the lessons of their lives can help you serve God.  For instance, if your Patron Saint is the Theotokos, Mary, you might learn from her example of obedience to God.  When the Archangel Gabriel came to Mary, he told her she would give birth to Jesus.  She was at first afraid but Gabriel reassured her with these words, "For with God nothing will be impossible."  And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."  (Luke 1:37-38).  God gave Mary the great responsibility of giving birth to Jesus and raising Him.  She put her faith in God and followed His commandment to her.  Like Mary we should put our faith in God and follow all of His Commandments to us.

Pick the Saints' Name Game

Below is a list of names.  Pick out the names which are Christian and put a cross beside them.

Amy	Felix	Ian	Isidore
Michael	Katelyn	Kevin	Elizabeth
Tania	Ahmed	John	Justin
Kalliope	Nicholas	Roxanne	Will
Sophia	Phoebe	Worth	Mary
Niketas	Alexander	Elliot	Jane
Theodore	Zosimas	Samson	Peter

Write out the prayer below on a piece of construction paper and fill in the name of your Patron Saint in the empty space.  Make a border with lace, glitter, or crosses at the four corners (use your imagination!).  When you have completed it, put it next to the icon of your Saint.

A Prayer to Your Patron Saint

Pray unto God for me, O Holy Saint _____________, well-pleasing to God:
for I turn unto thee, who art the speedy helper and intercessor for my soul.