Fulton John - Naming Our Son

When I was in college I learned about the story of Nehemiah. I learned how he asked the King for permission to go build the walls of Jerusalem. I was inspired by the story and it really impacted me that a cup bearer to the King could go and protect a city despite opposition. If you have never read the book of Nehemiah I recommend it.  I'm not sure when but at some point I had thought that Nehemiah would be a lovely name for a boy.  I shared this with my husband and for our marriage when we have talked about having a child we have referred to the child we hoped to one day have as Nehemiah.

When we found out I was pregnant we decided not to know the gender. We were so thankful for a baby we had no preference if it was a girl or boy. I would do it this way again as it was a lovely surprise at birth. We had the names picked out early on. We never consulted a baby name book we just thought we knew boy or girl what the names would be. If you surveyed our close friends they would have told you Nehemiah would be the name of a boy. 

A week before my water broke we were in the car running errands. Okay - in reality Paul was taking me to get chocolate sea salt popcorn that I was craving. I had felt like the name for a boy had been on my heart and I had wondered if it really was going to be Nehemiah but had not mentioned it. In the car, as I'm stuffing my face with popcorn my husband asks if I'm sure about the names for our baby. It started a conversation that lasted about 10 minutes. We talked through the name for the girl. We were sure. The name for the boy we decided wasn't Nehemiah but was going to be Fulton John. It was the craziest conversation in that we were both so open to the change, didn't have to debate on names we just knew. No baby name books needed. 

Fulton John. 

Fulton is after Venerable Fulton Sheen an American Bishop of the Catholic Church who died in 1979. Fulton Sheen has impacted my faith in so many ways. His book "The World's First Love" is perhaps my favorite. It gives a beautiful understanding of the role of our Blessed Mother. If you have questions about her and how to view her I recommend it. He's written some other books that have really impacted my husband including The Life of Christ. I asked him which one of us suggested Fulton and honestly we don't know but we both remember being quick to like the name. While pregnant with Fulton I went to St. Patrick's Cathedral where his body is. At the time we were still unsure if Fulton would make it this pilgrimage really encouraged our hearts. Fulton Sheen helped my faith and helped lead my husband back to the Catholic faith. It was only fitting that Venerable Fulton Sheen be the inspiration for our sons name. Fulton means bird or bird catcher. What kept my heart comforted through my pregnancy was the idea that God's eye is on the sparrow, knowing that if He was watching a bird he was definitely watching my child. 

The middle name had been long decided: John. My husband lost his father this year. It was his dad David John who inspired the Catholic faith in him. As a child he will tell you didn't see the beauty or goodness of the church but now as an adult who has come back to the faith he remembers the lessons his dad tried to instill in him. John is also the name of John Paul II whom my husband and I have a strong devotion to. Turns out John was also Fulton Sheen's middle name but we had it picked out before we were sure his name would be Fulton John. We also realized after Fulton was born and named, that it's actually the first name of his godfather too. John means "Yahweh is gracious". I didn't know this when we picked it but you can ask my husband - I find a way to name everything grace. In fact that is what my name means. It is such a grace to us that our son, who was conceived during the year of mercy and born during the hour of mercy, is here.  Grace and mercy have completely surrounded this little man and I pray they will continue to. 

It was Fulton Sheen that interceded for us during our birth. It was his writing that encouraged me during labor. It was my husband reading his book to me that gave me so much to think about and so much hope to hold on to. Then God amazed us with his addition to the name. Our son was born on the feast of St. John of the Cross. 

So the question we have been asked what was Fulton's name going to be if he was a girl? We wont's be sharing. We feel God may one day bring us a daughter and that may be her name. Who knows maybe one day we will have a child named Nehemiah.  Only God knows what is to come for our family. 

We ask that Venerable Fulton Sheen, Pope St. John Paul II, St. John of the Cross pray for us and our son that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

What did you name your child and why? I love hearing the inspiration of people's names.