It’s official: 25 days is the longest it has taken for us to name a baby. BUT! It hasn’t been for lack of trying!

Somewhere in that first hazy hour after birth, the midwife asked if the baby had a name. Filled with relief that birth was over, we laughed blithely and said, “No!” The midwife understood we needed to see the baby and get a sense of who they were before we could decide. Then things went south and while we didn’t forget about naming the baby, the simple act of living took precedence and there just wasn’t the mental clarity needed for such a momentous decision. There were other considerations, too.

. . .

This pregnancy was unexpected in so many ways. A joyful surprise, for sure, but after the difficulty of Teddy’s pregnancy, I was daily shocked at how well I was doing physically and emotionally. It felt like redemption, pure and sweet. But it also fell during arguably one of the busiest years of our marriage. We got to mid-June and Jac’s forehead creased as he admitted that it felt like we hadn’t had the time to think of this baby and their arrival was right around the corner. We spent the next few weeks reading and pondering about identity and specifically, the identity of this child. Who was God calling them to be? Who did the world need? How would their name shape them? 

. . .

Perhaps it was two days after the babe had been born that Jac said, “What do you think of Franz Athanasius Baptiste?” I paused and searched his face to see if he was serious before I gave a tentative laugh. THIS baby? The one with the dark hair and what promised to be dark skin and eyes, THIS was the child we would call Franz? Could we dare? “The thing I like about Franz is that no one knows about him,” Jac said. True true true. That also makes it a risky choice. One that will raise eyebrows or cause questions and in this shifty time of postpartum emotions, it felt like too much. You know what else is a risky choice? Showing your wife who is just two days past birth and in the hormonal stew that alllll of that brings the film A Hidden Life about the life of Blessed Franz Jagerstatter. Within the first 8 minutes, I was crying and choking out to Jac, “I don’t think I’m gonna make it!”

Blessed Franz Jagerstatter was born in 1907 in a small rural village in Upper Austria. He was born to unmarried parents and his biological father died serving in WWI. His mother married a man who then adopted Franz giving him his last name of Jagerstatter. Franz was bright and precocious, leaving school at age 14. He was known in his youth as “wild” and was the first in the village to own a motorcycle. But somewhere along the way, he encountered the Lord and had a huge conversion, marrying Franni and having three daughters. He was a devoted husband and father, passionate about his farm and home and a dedicated sacristan for the village church. He would have lived this simple, hidden life, unknown to anyone outside of his village except Hitler came to power. Franz was the only member of his village to vote against the annexation of Austria to Germany and later, he refused to swear allegiance to Hitler. He was convinced that the war the Nazis were waging was wrong and sinful and could not in good conscience support any of it. When he was called up for military service, he turned himself in and was immediately imprisoned. That was March 1943. On July 6, 1943, he was sentenced to death. His wife, pastor, and lawyer all tried to change his mind, but Franz was steadfast. On August 9, 1943, he died by guillotine because he didn’t abandon the truth.

. . .

Late in the spring, the name Athanasius kept popping up. A friend said, “Ooh, Athanasius. You’d really be setting the kid up!” I was chatting about it with Fr. Christensen and he scoffed at the friends’ remark. “Yeah, but which of your kids HAVEN’T you set up?” He had a point, as all of our kids have the names of courageous and often opposed saints. But Athanasius? Well, he was known as Athanasius Contra Mundum or Athanasius Against the World for his lifelong fight to explain and defend the divinity of Christ when it seemed the entire world was turning from Orthodoxy. During his episcopacy, Athanasius endured 5 different exiles that added up to 17 years total. During his lifetime, the Arian heresy was rampant. Athanasius was tireless in combatting this false teaching, being the greatest champion of the Incarnation the Church has ever known. His supporters and detractors alike wrote of his sharp and ready sense of humor and his unfailing courage, the kind that shines bright even in the darkest hour. Yes, a child with the name Athanasius would be well set up, indeed.

. . . 

As we waited on this baby, we thought it might arrive on our Anniversary. Then on one of the many family birthdays that fall in the late to middle of July. My water broke the morning of my dad’s 70th birthday – surely THIS would be the baby’s birthday! As I updated friends and family on the progress (or lack thereof) of labor, our friend Gail reminded me of the Saints of the day. When we were FINALLY able to announce that baby had arrived, she texted, “Apparently James, not Sharbel!” because July 25 is the fest of St. James the Greater. And, in espanol, St. James translates to Santiago. But that is not all, oh no, that is not all!

A few days after the baby was born, our friend Sister Joy texted from Brazil asking how we were and for an update regarding the baby. Had they been born? I joyfully shared that yes! He had arrived but no, no name. We had a short conversation in which she shared with us the story of 18 Benedictine martyrs from the Spanish Civil War. She also encouraged us to go with our hearts. “Anyways, I think he could pull off Franz. Why not?’ Thank you, Sister! These Benedictine martyrs included a Fr. Philip Santiago. They had known the government was coming for them and that if they stayed, they would be killed. They sent away those of the community who were very fearful or young but those who were courageous and those children in their care who could not get home faced the firing squad bravely. 

. . .

Out of the 10 births I have had, I have tried for a water birth 5 times. Four of those did not happen. But this one! Glory be, hallelujah! It happened in the water. Now because this labor and birth was long and difficult, I don’t remember which of the kids said it, BUT very shortly after birth – I mean, I was still in the birth pool – someone said, “Well, now we need to name him Baptiste because he was born in the water!” The name was on our radar because we watched season 4 of The Chosen and 1. I cried every stinkin’ episode because of hormones, and 2. The episode when Creepy John, aka John the Baptist, dies. . . well, I won’t spoil it, but I was overwhelmed by thoughts about this baby. Obviously, I wanted someone else to feel all the feels, so I “strongly encouraged” Trish and her family to watch it. She sent a Marco Polo once they had seen it and said she just kept thinking of this little baby. It seemed fitting to round off this name.

. . .

And so, we have a name for baby number 10 – Franz Athanasius Santiago Baptiste. The kids are so relieved. While it’s been weighing on our minds, it’s been causing them anxiety of a particular sort. There was a general sigh of relief when they were assured this was the name. Philip heard it and said, “So we have Franz and that’s German, Athanasius is Egyptian and Greek, Santiago is Spanish and Baptiste is French. Let’s gooooo!” 

The more we prayed and talked about it, the more convinced we were that what the world needs is truth and clarity, and these great saints were certainly men who lived that out. And while it is A LOT of name, we hope baby Franz might one day come to appreciate them and say with the Marquis de Lafayette, “ It’s not my fault. I was baptized like a Spaniard, with the name of every conceivable saint who might offer me more protection in battle.” Jac says we are just following the tradition of “our people.” All joking aside, we are sending this child into battle, and these patrons, these examples, these great men will help him to find his identity in Christ. 

Blessed Franz, St. Athanasius, St. James, St. John the Baptist, pray for us!

https://monasteriodelpueyo.org/presentacion-general/

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/blessed-franz-jagerstatter

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/one-mans-joy-stood-against-the-whole-world

https://watch.thechosen.tv/video/184683596182