I'm right with you, Daniel. I've been studying Orthodoxy for a while now, and at the point of conversion. My wife and I are dedicated Lutherans. She's not too keen on the idea of switching churches. Prayers for you and Cathy.
I am growing closer and closer to wanting to convert to Orthodoxy and will be taking classes soon. My husband and I attend a Protestant church. Although he is interested in aspects of orthodoxy, I don’t think he’d convert either. Prayers for both of you.
@@living_orthodox it's so interesting to me because I've always felt this draw to change my name, and the LDS church does it, but it's hidden and they make a false narrative but Orthodox is true and nothing is hidden. Some beginner guidance would be wonderful.
@@jasonsworld333 absolutely. Most of these issues such as alcoholism are spiritual sicknesses. They need spiritual remedies. I’d recommend finding a solid parish and start attending services. Maybe try to set up a talk with a priest.
Father I myself have chosen Saint Harith (Arethas) since he is the Patron Saint of the Arabian Peninsula and I relate to his situation as it can happen to me at any moment and next month on January 2023 I will be baptized pray for me father!
I frequently hear “Pick a Saint who’s name matches the one you have”. I hear this so frequently I’m actually kind of shocked it wasn’t mentioned in this video.
Be sure to look into some of the earlier martyrs and Fathers of the Church dear one! They have amazing stories and witness to the power of the great cloud of witnesses! God bless you.
I've got no idea. St Ephraim of Nea Makri (I'm a substance abuser) St Silouan (I'm proud, I puff up easy) St Mary of Egypt (I've never consistently repented) St Paul the simple (I'm an old unborn Orthodox layman) St George (I have a smart mouth toward bullies) St Gabriel of Georgia (I just love this dude) It makes me panic, I don't want to force a Saint to have to put up with my idiot behaviour, my guardian angel probably got a permanent palm print on his forehead bcoz of my stupidity. My priest is constantly telling me to slow down, was there an over-zealous Saint I don't know about? Thanks for reading this, Lord have mercy on me, on us. Thank you for this video Fr.
I chose St. Mary of Egypt as her rebirth in Christ from her former life of debauchery was extraordinary, and the level of penitence and knowledge of the Faith she had without ever being Catechized or reading the Holy Scriptures, just being baptized and Chrismated on her way to the desert, is a miracle of God!
St Phanourios, the Greek lost and found saint, was someone whom I gravitated towards as a survivor of emotional and physical abuse who struggled with the idea of finding the things I had lost. He is quite obscure to most except in the Greek community.
Im planning on getting baptized at some point and Mary of Egypt and Moses the Black are saints im considering to be my patrons. As a ex pagan/satan worshiper and someone who struggle with the passions of the flesh,knowing that even the worst of us can become holy is very inspiring. I'll have to ask my priest or the theotokos at some point who to choose because its so neck and neck lmao
@@Christisking1911 I love them both. Funny enough I wound up choosing lazarus(but of an accident but really under God's will nothing is) read their lives and if all else fails ask God whom would suit you best and put it in his hands
Ive just started the path of orthodoxy. I went to see a local priest. We had a long conversation about my chaotic life of sin and how i want to repent and follow god. We spoke about the questions i have when it comes to god and scripture. It was a great experience. He then blessed me and started me on my path. Now im planning and this question is one i need to decide the answer to, so thank you for this video.
I took St Christopher. A nice simple Saint. It’s funny you mentioned St Moses of Ethiopia and St Mary of Egypt, they are two I love. Another favourite is St Euphrosynos.
My grandmother picked Rafael as my name. When I got received in the Orthodox Church I kept my name and have picked Saint Raphael of Brooklyn as my patron saint and I could not be more blessed.
Thanks Father. This was helpful as I'm enquiring into orthodoxy. In fact I have little doubt this is the right path. I'm hoping to be baptized next year and I look forward to choosing a Saint.
Through the prayers of our Holy Father's ☦️ LORD JESUS CHRIST OUR GOD have mercy on us and save us Amen. ~ I too am named after Saint Archangel Michael ~ GLORY TO GOD FOR ALL THINGS AMEN ☦️
Thank you Father. I am gradually learning about Orthodoxy. I know in my heart that this discovery is the will of our Lord. ,🙏🙏🙏 I am confimed Church of England, have not regularly attended services in the last several years - my faith is renewing. Tonight I discovered the Jesus prayer. Please pray for me and others too. 🙏🙏🙏
Just like biblical and historical evidence proves that jesus and his apostles were vegatarians biblical and historical evidence also proves that the trinity, atonement, original sin and hell are very late misinterpretations and are not supported by the early creed hence its not a part of Christianity I pray that Allah swt revives Christianity both inside and out preserves and protects it and makes its massage be witnessed by all people but at the right moment, place and time The secred text of the Bible says ye shall know them by their fruits So too that I say to my christian brothers and sisters be fruitful and multiply Best regards from a Muslim ( line of ismail )
Just like biblical and historical evidence proves that jesus and his apostles were vegatarians biblical and historical evidence also proves that the trinity, atonement, original sin and hell are very late misinterpretations and are not supported by the early creed hence its not a part of Christianity I pray that Allah swt revives Christianity both inside and out preserves and protects it and makes its massage be witnessed by all people but at the right moment, place and time The secred text of the Bible says ye shall know them by their fruits So too that I say to my christian brothers and sisters be fruitful and multiply Best regards from a Muslim ( line of ismail )
I am in the learning process, i will be contacting my local parish soon so i can be on the road to my Chrismation. Through my studies and readings i have grown close to my namesake, St. Stéphanos. I try to live my life through spiritual martyrdom for My lord Jesus. God bless you Father, and i ask you to pray for me on this journey to The One True Church.
Can you offer any insight or advice for those of us with very obscure patron saints? Everything ever written about my patron can be printed on a single sheet of paper. I've read the story of St Dositheos, as found in the Life of Abba Dorotheus, many, many times. I briefly call on him at Morning prayer (I use the Jordanville). What else can I do to grow closer to him? He is, to me, a great example, one I could only ever live up to with immense Divine intervention. I am hopeful, but I desire to grow closer, relationally, to St. Dositheos. Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks for your efforts in producing thoughtful content.
Hello Dositheos! The best thing you can do is model yourself and your life in Christ after his example. Of course regular prayers will help. You can also read the lives of his contemporaries in order to get a better for feel for his life.
Thanks so much for this, there are so many saints, I’m in the process of picking saints for myself and children as we convert from prodestantism. I narrowed it down by looking at: 1. Name (can I see myself being called this) 2. Relatability (how much overlap do I have with this person as far as shared life experience. And life orientation and direction.) 3. Icon (do I connect with this person) 4. Geography and ethnicity (Being Irish, Scottish and going to Russian Orthodox Church people like saint seraphim or Herman, David of wales, Columba of Iona, Patrick of Ireland etc would make more sense then say saint Gerism of Jordan or Gabriel of Georgia. But early saints I consider for everyone since Christianity hadn’t spread through world yet. Has this person directly or indirectly contributed to my salvation or coming to knowledge of the church?) 5. Legacy (do I have access to there life story? Are they in synaxarion? Are there RU-vid videos on this person or can I only find a few paragraphs online? I want this person to be close to me and if I can’t access information then I won’t be able to deepen relationship as much.) This helped me narrow down from 500 to about 7 between me and 2 sons. So now there is nothing left to do but pray about it.
I was Baptised on the Repose of St. Raphael of Brooklyn. I chose him because he's very important to the Community I was entering. Though I hope by God's Grace I won't be a Bishop, his Commitment to Orthodox Unity in America is something I hope to see in my Lifetime.
I have one question father. Do i must get baptized to choose a patron saint for example my name is Anthony and my parents gave this name to honor st Anthony but i choosed saint paisios as my patron saint beacuse i felt strong connection with him and his struggles (btw iam baptized)
I am drawn to two choices; 1) Saint Seraphim Rose (A Saint in Georgia) or 2) I pray to the Theotokos but she cannot be a personal Saint, right? Is Elizabeth, Mother of John, A Saint? I have infertility issues and have been blessed with one son. But I am saddened and pained that after 4 years, i have not conceived.
I have a question! If there are multiple Orthodox Christians in a room or in a parish have the same baptismal name but have different worldly names what you call them when addressing them in public. I know several people with the baptismal name or took on as their familial patron saint as Anna the mother of the Theotokos at my home parish. They are usually addressed by their worldly names to keep things simple for themselves and others in the parish. What should people do in that situation?
Whichever they prefer. Myself as example, I prefer my baptismal name being used. Although those who knew me before baptism use my given name, others call me by my proper name (baptismal).
I have a slightly different question Father, as a Serbian Orthodox (from birth), I grew up having a family patron saint (Slava) of St George on May 6th. However I married a Greek orthodox man who doesn't celebrate slava but rather his own name day. I miss having a slava and wish I could still celebrate it somehow. Would it be appropriate if we chose our own new slava for our family? If so how would we choose it? And should it go by the Julian (Serbian) calendar or the Greek? Sometimes it is difficult to know these questions because of our mixed marriage and different calendars, which makes it sad and tough that we even have these problems still as 2 canonical orthodox community members....thank you ....
Your marriage isn’t mixed dear Sofia. You’re both Orthodox which takes priority over ethnicity. When one enters the kingdom of heaven (God willing) you’ll be Orthodox. The Greek or Serbian distinction won’t even exist there. However, there is nothing wrong with the idea of having a Slava. Talk with your husband and suggest the idea of both practices. As for calendar it truly isn’t the most important thing. If I had to give an answer I would say stick to the Old Calendar.
Celebrating your wife's Slava is rather odd, but if your husband is good with it there is no real prohibition I don't think. The rules around Slava are not really followed any longer anyway.
@@sofijaantzaras4970 I understand that. But Slava is a unique tradition to Serbs and it is passed down the male line. Traditionally, it would be your father or a brother that would do it. I understand that we live in a modern world, that it's 2023, but I'm still a bit old fashioned when it comes to a lot of this stuff. Maybe the two of you could choose a new Slava day and start a fresh new tradition.
I’ve been Orthodox all my life, but somehow didn’t realize this about patron saints. I thought it was just a namesake, not an ongoing, prayerful relationship… There are several of them who share the name given to me at my baptism. How do I know which one is my patron saint? I’ve never felt any kind of special kinship that I’m aware of.
@@living_orthodox My confusion lies in the fact that there are many St Johns (the Baptist, the Hesychast, of Kronstadt, of Damascus, etc) and without understanding the intention of my parents (impossible to do) I’m no sure which one specifically I was named after. I have a feeling that St John the Evangelist is the “default,” even though I remember having an icon of St John Crysostom on the wall of my bedroom as a kid
Unfortunately during the 20th Century the tradition of celebrating one's Nameday over one's Birthday, in the West at least, was lost. There is a new Gentleman in our Parish who was Baptised in a Ukrainian Parish with just a name no Saint in the 90's. He has now under the guidance of our Priest chosen a Patron Saint as an Adult as a corrective action.
Hey, Father Michael. When I was little, I got baptised in a Catholic Church as a Roman-Catholic. The priest gave me the name John, after St.John (I don’t know which one). The thing is, I started to study orthodoxy and I think I can call myself an orthodox Christian. So is that name valid? Or do I have to baptise one more time but in an Orthodox Church?
Hello John! If you want to be Orthodox then you should most certainly attend a Church. Either way you should be baptized into the faith as we don’t acknowledge the mysteries of other groups like the Papists. At the minimum you could be received via Chrismation, but this isn’t recommended. From there on we could sort out which John you’re named after and what your name day is.
@@living_orthodox Thank you very much Father Michael. I’m gonna attend a church very soon. I think it will be hard to get baptised, my parents means that orthodoxy and Catholicism is literally the same and that there is no need of anything in an Orthodox Church. They won’t let me before 18 most likely. But if it happens before, I don’t know how to go to liturgy, because it’s 2,3 hours away here where I live in Norway. My parents go to a mass there and they wouldn’t let me go to a liturgy if I can go to a mass. It’s just hard for me because everything is a long distance away. My goal is to become an orthodox priest, I just don’t know what to do right now. I hope you have some recommendations and God bless you!
I chose St Andrew (the first called) because my name is Andre, which is basically just a derivative of Andrew, and I figure if I was given a Christian name, maybe it was for a reason. It might seem "ridiculous" or "spiritless" as one commenter previously described it, but I think I'll be ok. I think its great that people put a lot of thought into this, but I don't think we need to get too hung up on it. If we follow ANY saint closely enough they should lead us to holiness.
So when I was chrismated, the priest at the time just had me keep my regular name so I don’t have a different baptismal name and really never got to put too much thought into who my patron would be. Can I just pick a Saint that I feel particularly drawn to?
I am currently a Catechumen, but i've talked to many in my church about this. My understanding is that you can pick any saint you really want. If a saint has a life that inspires you or shares(d) similar struggles, you can go with that. For instance, I'm mostly Anglo and am greatly tied to that heritage. I'm looking at Anglo saints (pre schism of course) that tie my temporal lineage to The Church.
We use our Saint name at the Chalice and for all things in the Church. It's put on one's baptismal or Chrismation certificate. You'll have to discuss with your Priest. But unofficially yeah, you can choose your Saint. I always thought everyone did that and discussed with their Priest as a Catechumen.
Saint simply means holy or sanctified. The angels are still created beings and some of them (as we know) rebelled against God in the beginning. They had a choice to participate in God and His kingdom or not. Those who have are all saints. But some are more know to us than others. One doesn’t have to die to become a saint. Look at Holy prophet Elias for example! He never died and yet, he is venerated as a saint and this was even the case in the time of Christ :)
What I don’t understand is when Peter’s name was changed and Jesus said upon this rock… he wasn’t named after a dead person but his name represented who he would become. Why would we need to change our name to a dead man? Doesn’t seem like it’s what Jesus intended.
That is a very sad and reductionist view. If you believe St Peter is dead, then what is the purpose of pursuing a life in Christ. If you think you’re already perfect (which you aren’t) then why not choose the name of a saint, and for that matter, an ideal to become. Simon was already dead in Adam, and was coming to life, a new birth in Christ as Peter.
@@living_orthodox Hebrew 10:14 says we by His one sacrifice, he has perfected those who are being sanctified. I’m not trying to be reductionist. I know Peter is alive in Christ. But after years of seeing Orthodox as my brothers in Christ, I recently learned that you don’t see it that way. And I’ve been looking into Orthodoxy. This practice of veneration when we have Jesus is an odd concept to me and I’m genuinely asking examining the teachings.
@@Jeffdurbla11 to be truthful I really don’t have the time to get into a lengthy commentary. These are things that take time to learn and flesh out. Given that we in modern western society have tried to reduce things to be simple to the point they’re losing meaning. Quite simply yes, we don’t see non-Orthodox as brothers in Christ as the Orthodox definition of being in Christ cannot be solely held in the notions of what one believes. He became man for a reason. What I can do is recommend some books. You can also reach me through my discord and we can even arrange a call. In the meantime time this is what I would recommend. 1. Know the Faith by Fr Michael Shanbur 2. The Fount of Knowledge by St John Damascene. 3. The Law of God by either Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy or Fr Daniel Sysoev 4. The Letters of St Ignatius of Antioch (disciple of Holy Apostle and Evangelist John). 5. Divine Action and Divine Energies by Dr. David Bradshaw.
@@Jeffdurbla11 I already answered your question. You need to re-read my answer and see the meaning. You are a dead man and the name whether it’s the same name but referring to a saint served the purpose of marking the life in Christ and modelling oneself after the saint. Names aren’t just sounds like so many people reduce them too, and they’re not just meanings from a language. They have significance and this was understood by everyone prior to the deformation of the Protestants. That’s all I have to say. If you want you can contact me through discord. Time to do some homework.
Hopefully I'm right in saying a feminised form. My patron saint is St Stephen the proto martyr, so I am called Stephanie. If a woman chooses Saint Paul she could be Paula, if she chooses Andrew she could be called Andrea etc
Yes, there are many female saints like saint hripsime Martyr, saint Barbara, Saint marina (Margarita) Martyr, Saint Kristos semra (Ethiopian). There are so many, if you want to know their stories you can find them on Google, i think.
I don't think baptismal names are common amongst most Slavs. I was baptised in 1969 and I never received one. In fact I don't know a single Orthodox person that has one. Amongst Serbs especially it is of little importance as name days themselves are not particularly important.
Most Slavs are given what are considered Christian names. This is often just the name your parents give you. Keep in mind, us westerners who convert, have to come in with accordance to canon and holy tradition
@@living_orthodox Canon and tradition is not 100 percent uniform across all Orthodox churches. And the only Christian names are based in either the Jewish or Greek tradition. One could go further and say they are based ONLY on Judaism. For 99% of Serbs, name days are of minor importance and many do not have one at all. Even many of the clergy dislike the idea.
@@living_orthodox Western converts already have Christian names. How are their names less Christian than names that originated in Slavic or Greek paganism?
@@living_orthodox I apologize if I offended you. I also perhaps did not understand the video. I think you were saying that choosing a baptismal name is mandatory in Orthodoxy. Did I misunderstand that part?
