Our Chrismation is now less than a day away, and as it draws near many things are flowing through my mind. One of the important parts of being received into the Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church is the reception of a Patron Saint; that is, a Saint who you are named by or identified with, who specifically is assigned to you by Christ to protect you through their intercessions and to encourage and strengthen you in your Spiritual walk, along with all the Saints, one’s Spiritual Father here on earth (whether it be a presbyter or monk, etc.), one’s guardian angel, and our blameless and immaculate Lady Theotokos, the Ever-Virgin Mary.

Long ago, and far away, my parents decided to name me after my father’s father, giving me the middle name of Vincent. Fast forward 26 years, and my search for the Apostolic Faith and a house of refuge and Ark of Salvation for my family (and especially for my baby girl). One of my primary concerns when approaching Orthodoxy was a search for the true Catholic Faith and the true nature of Catholicity. I had been told for a long time what “Catholic” meant, but it was never really the full picture (ironically). Catholicity is about fullness; that is, the fullness of the Faith once for all delivered to the Saints. Throughout Protestantism, you find bits and pieces of this Faith, but never the unchanged, unabridged, fullness of the Apostolic Faith. Essentially, when you put all of these bits together, you find Orthodoxy and the One True Church. It is with these concerns and thoughts in mind — desiring to be a part of the Faith of Christ and His Apostles — that I approached Orthodoxy, hoping and praying that I would find it, and that I could raise my daughter and perhaps future children in it. I did not want her growing up in a place of turmoil, constant change, schism, doubt, and where there was an exaltation of “reason” over Faith (especially where it concerns the Church and Her claims). We, of course, found all of this in Orthodoxy, and the rest is history.

Coming full circle, it just so happens that a fifth century A.D. monk named Vincent left for the Church a solitary work entitled Commonitory, which was an apologetic defense of the Catholicity of the Apostolic Church and Faith against the schismatics and various heresies of his day (such as Nestorianism, which he addresses directly). While seeking out Orthodoxy, I read St Vincent’s work with great interest and it seemed as if everything he wrote was specifically written for me and for my concerns for both the Faith and how to find it in its fullness. St Vincent is famous for defining the Catholic Faith (against heretics and their novelty) as “that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all.” I soon realized that God knew all of this would happen, even from the day I was born and named by my parents 26 years ago, and He has been carefully guiding my steps ever since up to this very moment on the eve of our Chrismation and reception into the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

I know that St Vincent has been praying for me for some time now. It is obvious. He knew that his words that providentially have been left to and preserved by the Apostolic Church were for me and my concerns precisely. He knew me and searched me out before I even knew he existed. I know that I’ll always be in good hands with him interceding to our Lord and Savior on my behalf, and I know that if I ever wonder  again or need to be refreshed on how to discern the Catholic Faith, his words are there, ready and waiting, to inspire me and lead me into the arms of our Loving Father.

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