When I was joining the Church, I was a little uncertain about picking a saint for my confirmation name. It wasn't that I really had any problems with (other people) praying to the saints; it's just that I didn't really plan on doing it myself. Plus, I didn't even know where to start. A classmate of mine who was also going through RCIA had an incredible experience in which her saint essentially chose her, involving a dream and everything... but I had nothing like that.
I thought about just going with Elizabeth Ann Seton, since we shared first and middle names and she seemed nice, but figured that might be cheating. The day where we had to have our saints picked drew near, and I fussed about it to my husband. He pulled up a list of female saints and asked if there were any names in general that I liked.
"Um," I tried to think of names that I liked that I wouldn't necessarily give to a daughter. "I like Rose?"
"Great!" he said, scrolling down. "There are four Roses to chose from, plus two Rosalies."
I read through the descriptions, and narrowed it down to Blessed Rose Venerini and St. Rose Philippini Duchesne. I wasn't sure which one to choose. I leaned towards St. Rose Philippini Duchesne, because she had worked in Missouri, but to be honest I wasn't sure how to say her last name. So Blessed Rose Venerini won. I turned her name in as my saint, and didn't think about her again for a few months.
I felt bad about the way I had gone about choosing her, and eventually decided I needed to learn more about Blessed Rose. I discovered that she was awesome! Here's her official Vatican biography. The thing that most resounded with me was her desire to educate women and girls, which sprang from her early days praying the Rosary with women in her neighborhood. She saw how little they knew about their faith, and it inspired her to found free schools to educate them. She realized that she was being called to serve in the world as opposed to in a convent, and so serve she did.
Blessed Rose is an inspiring model for me. I have such a hunger right now for community, especially community with other women as we discover the truths of our faith together. I also have a strong desire to learn about and share New Feminism, which I think can improve the lives of women today just like education did for women in the 1600s. As I try to discern how I can serve God with the passions He has given me, I can turn to Blessed Rose for help.
Despite my eventual appreciation of her, last Friday was the feast of Blessed Rose and I almost forgot about it! At the last minute I went and bought some flowers (including roses, of course) and I said a rosary, but that was about all the celebrating I did. I'd like to do more next year, but I'm not really sure what to do. So I thought I'd ask you all:
Do you celebrate your saint's day? If so, how? Also, do you have any stories from picking your own saint for confirmation?