Patroness for Confirmation as a Moral Model: The Perspective of Catholic Women on the Threshold of Adulthood
Patroness for Confirmation as a Moral Model: The Perspective of Catholic Women on the Threshold of Adulthood

Summary/Abstract: The article is devoted to the patron saints chosen by young Catholics for the sacrament of Confirmation, recalled several years after the decision. It was based on focus group interviews conducted with stu- dents in the last years of secondary school. Despite the decision of the Polish Bishops’ Conference that young people should keep their baptismal names at the sacrament of Confirmation (if it is the name of a saint), most of the women interviewed had the option of choosing any patroness. According to the narratives presented herein, it was an important event for them and most of their decisions were careful- ly considered. Their searches regarding names were most often inde- pendent, rarely related to either religion lessons or parish catechesis.The patron saints chosen by the interviewees a few years earlier were often referred to as specific moral role models. The holy or blessed behavior and attitudes displayed by these women were usually pos- itively perceived by girls on the threshold of adulthood. Therefore, it is worth reflecting on both preventing young people from autono- mously, reflectively choosing a patron saint with whom they want to identify due to interests or professional plans as well as the entire process of familiarizing them with personal religious role models from parish catechesis and religious education at school.

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