{"id":703,"date":"2011-05-25T09:40:13","date_gmt":"2011-05-25T16:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/?p=703"},"modified":"2011-05-25T14:22:07","modified_gmt":"2011-05-25T21:22:07","slug":"whats-in-a-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/whats-in-a-name\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s in a Name?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/span>n many cultures throughout the world, a person will take a new name at a new phase of their life: birth, coming of age – really any of the great passages of life. <\/p>\n

Even in cultures where this is not a formal (re)naming, we often take or are given nicknames that stick with us. We are reinvented in college, or in the military, or at a new job.<\/p>\n

In our life of faith, we are given a name at Baptism, and we choose a new name at Confirmation.<\/p>\n

Now I was baptised and confirmed on the same day as an adult, so it was a little different for me. My mother gave me the name Thomas, and to my family in the midwest I am still Thomas.<\/p>\n

In college, I became Thom, and everyone I have met since knows me by this name.<\/p>\n

(Interestingly, my middle name – Georg – was my nickname in the womb, so there’s another odd passage commemorated in my case.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Saint John the Apostle<\/p><\/div>For my confirmation, I took the name of John, for the Apostle and Evangelist. <\/p>\n

Giovanni, the Italian John, was the given name of Saint Francis of Assisi, and that factored in a little as well. I rather impishly celebrate all the feasts of the saints John.<\/p>\n

Given my rather Germanic middle name, I elect to use a German form of John – Johannes. I begin to understand how some people end up with ridiculously long names, for mine is now Thomas Georg Johannes Ryng. That’s pretty much why I stick with “Thom”.<\/p>\n

When I made my promises as a Benedictine Oblate, I took a monastic name as well. These names, while chosen by the person to be named, must be approved by the Abbot, or in our case the Oblate Director.<\/p>\n

I chose the name of today’s saint, Bede the Venerable.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Saint Bede the Venerable translating the Gospel According to Saint John<\/p><\/div>The Venerable Bede<\/a> lived in early medieval Britain (c. 673 \u2013 735). He was a writer and historian, so it seemed a natural fit.<\/p>\n

He was a monk from a young age, describing himself as “the most observant and the happiest of all monks”. <\/p>\n

He wrote more than sixty books, including the landmark An Ecclesiastical History of the English People<\/em>. This was quite a feat considering the era and location in Anglo-Saxon Britain, beset by both illiteracy and Viking raids in abundance.<\/p>\n

While his most famous works are histories, the majority of his output was theological, and he is counted among the Doctors of the Church.<\/p>\n

This little blog has Saint Bede as its patron, and in that spirit I offer one of the saint’s prayers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In many cultures throughout the world, a person will take a new name at a new phase of their life: birth, coming of age – really any of the great passages of life. Even in cultures where this is not a formal (re)naming, we often take or are given nicknames that stick with us. We are reinvented in college, or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-saint"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/bede.jpg?fit=400%2C507&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-bl","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":109279,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-fifth-day-of-christmas-the-holy-family\/","url_meta":{"origin":703,"position":0},"title":"The Fifth Day of Christmas: the Holy Family","author":"Thom","date":"29 December 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, the Church usually celebrates the memorial of\u00a0Saint Thomas Becket. Because it's the Sunday in the Octave of Christmas, it is instead the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In the Holy Family, God gives us a living icon of family life: child, mother, father. Russian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Gerrit_van_Honthorst_Holy_Family_in_the_Carpentry_Shop_525.jpg?fit=525%2C440&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Gerrit_van_Honthorst_Holy_Family_in_the_Carpentry_Shop_525.jpg?fit=525%2C440&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Gerrit_van_Honthorst_Holy_Family_in_the_Carpentry_Shop_525.jpg?fit=525%2C440&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100737,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/fifth-day-of-christmas-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":703,"position":1},"title":"The Fifth Day of Christmas: the Holy Family","author":"Thom","date":"29 December 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Today we celebrate the Sunday in the Octave of Christmas, the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In the Holy Family, God gives us a living icon of family life: child, mother, father. Russian Icon of the Holy Family And more than that, this being an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Holy-Family-e1363717547408.jpg?fit=778%2C1021&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Holy-Family-e1363717547408.jpg?fit=778%2C1021&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Holy-Family-e1363717547408.jpg?fit=778%2C1021&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Holy-Family-e1363717547408.jpg?fit=778%2C1021&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":106698,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/saint-thomas-becket-obedience-and-the-sacred-liturgy\/","url_meta":{"origin":703,"position":2},"title":"Saint Thomas Becket, Obedience, and the Sacred Liturgy","author":"Thom","date":"29 December 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Today the Church celebrates the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Over the years, I've written many articles on St. Thomas Becket, one of my favourite saints. I've provided links to them below. 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Over the years, I've written many articles on this, one of my favourite saints. I've provided links to them below. Many of these articles focus on the saint himself, his life and martyrdom, and others on his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Becket.jpg?fit=967%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Becket.jpg?fit=967%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Becket.jpg?fit=967%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Becket.jpg?fit=967%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":107428,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-fifth-day-of-christmas-saint-thomas-becket-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":703,"position":4},"title":"The Fifth Day of Christmas: Saint Thomas Becket and His Liturgical Celebration","author":"Thom","date":"29 December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Today the Church celebrates the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Over the years, I've written many articles on this, one of my favourite saints. I've provided links to them below. Many of these articles focus on the saint himself, his life and martyrdom, and others on his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Holy Days"","block_context":{"text":"Holy Days","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/holy-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/martyrdom_of_st_thomas_becket.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/martyrdom_of_st_thomas_becket.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/martyrdom_of_st_thomas_becket.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/martyrdom_of_st_thomas_becket.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/martyrdom_of_st_thomas_becket.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":110147,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-fifth-day-of-christmas-thomas-and-henry\/","url_meta":{"origin":703,"position":5},"title":"The Fifth Day of Christmas: Thomas and Henry","author":"Thom","date":"29 December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, the Church celebrates the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Over the years, I've written many articles on this, one of my favourite saints. I've provided links to them below. 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