As you are received into the Holy Orthodox Church, you will be given a new name. You will bear the name of your new Patron Saint, who will be assigned to pray for you as your guardian and protector. If the Apostle John became your Patron Saint, for example, you would receive the name John as your new Christian name. Likewise, if the Great Martyr Anastasia became your Patron, you would receive the name, Anastasia. The Priest may give you a new name and assign a Patron Saint without consulting with you, but he will likely involve you in the process of making the decision.
If your birth name is already the name of a Saint, like Luke or Catherine, your birth name may be kept as your Christian name as well. You are not expected to use this new name daily as though it were a legal name change. Rather, you will be called by your Christian name when the Church prays for you and during other specific occasions.
Your Priest will also speak with you concerning a Sponsor, that is, an adult Godparent who will stand beside you as you are received into the Church. After you are received, your Sponsor may serve as an important resource for answering basic questions and as a model for how to live an active Orthodox Christian life. If the Priest allows you to choose your Sponsor, choose wisely and, of course, receive the blessing of the Priest regarding your choice. If you are male, your Sponsor must be male. If you are female, your Sponsor must be female. Through the Mystery that unites you to the Church, a new spiritual relationship will be created between you and your Sponsor.
(Keep in mind that as marriages are forbidden between people having certain blood relationships, marriages are also forbidden between two people who are spiritually related. Your relationship as a spiritual son or daughter of your Godparent/Sponsor may also create new spiritual brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nieces, and nephews. For purposes of marriage, the Church treats these spiritual relationships very much like biological kinship.)
By your entrance into the Holy Orthodox Church, you will not only gain a new name and a Patron Saint, but also new family members.
Read: Genesis 17.1-5; 15-16; 32.28, John 1.40-42
Text copyright © 2018 by Fr. Symeon D. S. Kees