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Question Title Posted By Question Date
The Name Emmanuel Manuel Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Question:

Dear Brother,

I'm sorry that I used the name Emmanuel when I asked the question about St. Lazarus a few days ago.

I don't want to be disrespectful to Our Lord. Actually, my actual name is Manuel (the Spanish version for Emmanuel). The Roman Catholic Church has been baptizing with full approval babies with my name 'Manuel' and also 'Jesús' for centuries in countries like Spain, Portugal and Latin America. Names like those are very common in the countries I mentioned.

There are two saints named Manuel - St. Manuel of Persia, and early Christian who suffered martyrdom under Julian the Apostate and whose feast is June 17. There's also St. Manuel Moralez,who was martyred during the Mexican Cristero war in 1929. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000. His memorial is May 25.

Thanks for your helpful thoughts on St. Lazarus of Jerusalem.

I hope your Christmas was merry and I wish you a Blessed New Year.



Question Answered by

Hi:

I did not mean to imply that the Church as a problem with this, nor that there is disrespect on your part. Your name was given to you by your parents and it is your name. I am the one who has a problem with this.

I know it is very common in Latin countries to name male children "Jesus".  I personally consider naming a child a name that belongs to our Lord to be a misplaced devotion.

I just cannot call someone Jesus. The name of Jesus makes hell tremble, it is the name above all other names. Jesus cannot be the name above all names when the name has been made common by this misplaced devotion, nor is the Jesus down the road the Jesus that makes hell tremble.

This is the first time that the name Emmanuel (Manuel) has come up.  There are about ten saints with this name, all from Latin countries, mostly from Spain. But, the problem is the the same.

In my view, the reason those canonized saints have the name Manuel is because the Latin countries tend to have such misplaced devotions as to name there kids what I believe should be a reserved name.

I know this is a cultural issue, but, I am sorry, I consider Jesus and Manuel to be reserved names. I have no problem using a person's middle name.

You have no reason to be sorry for anything. Your name is your name. I apologize.

The problem is all with me and my own prejudices.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary


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