Fr. Damien

[Cantus]

It's about time, this man did more than Dearest Mother Theresa. 
She managed the war, He was in the trenches!!!!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,498008,00.html

[AgnusDei1989]

I had no idea he wasn't canonized yet. Well, laus Deo that he finally will be!

[Bonifacius]

I seem to recall that Mother Teresa was also in the trenches alot of the time . . .

[SCG]

First, Mother Teresa was in the trenches, too.

Second, this is news to me. I thought Fr. Damien was already canonized.

- Lisa

[Anastasia]

I can't imagine why it's taken so long, talk about a man who exemplified Christian charity! I remember even R.L. Stevenson ( an agnostic by that time I believe) came strongly to his defense when the papers attacked St Damien's sanctity.
No need to disparage Mother Theresa, she did more work for Our Lord than anyone else around here, certainly.

[didishroom]

First, Mother Teresa was in the trenches, too.

Second, this is news to me. I thought Fr. Damien was already canonized.

- Lisa

He's like Juan Diego and Kateri Tekaqwitha, who seem to stay in 'Blessed" Limbo so long we just start thinking they've been already canonized.

[SCG]

He's like Juan Diego and Kateri Tekaqwitha, who seem to stay in 'Blessed" Limbo so long we just start thinking they've been already canonized.

That must be it!

- Lisa

[Ger]

When I wanted to give my second baby the name Damien there were objections from in-laws that they had never heard of a saint of that name.

My father came to the rescue saying he had heard of a Father Damien who had worked among lepers until he died of the disease, and that he was on track for canonisation (this was twenty years ago).

I had no patience for the argument at the time.  My reply was: If no one Christens their children with the name Damien, there never will be a Saint of that name.

R.I.P. Dad. 

[Bonifacius]

I always thought the saints' name convention involved some, er, problems.  Obviously it did not exist in the early days of the Church.  We have saints with names like Dionysius (Dionysus-guy) and Apollonia (Apollo's girl).  If folks with outright pagan names like that did not change their names when they converted, obviously the rule did no apply at the time.  Then there are names like Edward and Henry, which obviously did not come about until Germanic peoples started converting.  I know a priest who objected to baptizing a grown woman named Rachel under her own name because Rachel wasn't a saint's name.  Uh, it's right there in the Old Testament.  So he tacked on an additional saint's name after Rachel so she'd have a proper "Christian" name.  If I wanted to give my daughter the first name Heather and the priest objected, I would say, "Hey, she's going to be St. Heather some day.  That will free up the name for other Catholics."  Of course, her middle name would still be a saint's name.

[SCG]

I always thought the saints' name convention involved some, er, problems.  Obviously it did not exist in the early days of the Church.  We have saints with names like Dionysius (Dionysus-guy) and Apollonia (Apollo's girl).  If folks with outright pagan names like that did not change their names when they converted, obviously the rule did no apply at the time.  Then there are names like Edward and Henry, which obviously did not come about until Germanic peoples started converting.  I know a priest who objected to baptizing a grown woman named Rachel under her own name because Rachel wasn't a saint's name.  Uh, it's right there in the Old Testament.  So he tacked on an additional saint's name after Rachel so she'd have a proper "Christian" name.  If I wanted to give my daughter the first name Heather and the priest objected, I would say, "Hey, she's going to be St. Heather some day.  That will free up the name for other Catholics."  Of course, her middle name would still be a saint's name.

I know what you're saying. I named my daughter Jennifer Loraine.. No saints names there.. at least none that I'm aware of (it was the early 70s and Jennifer was "in"). So at her baptism I inserted "Ann" to make her Jennifer Ann Loraine. I still pray every day that she'll be the first St. Jennifer (second or third would be okay, too :))
 
- Lisa