Happy Tuesday, everyone! Here’s another belated birth announcement for a Sancta Nomina baby!

Longtime readers will remember Katheryn’s and her husband’s amazing taste in names as evidenced by the names they chose for their children: the first four explained here, and birth announcements here, here, and here. I’m excited to share that they’ve since welcomed another baby girl, to whom they gave the incredible name … Remember Ocean Terebinth!

Katheryn writes,

“I absolutely love her name, and love it more and more as she grows. We went back and forth for awhile on her name and were originally going to name her Ocean Memorare but one day my husband said, ‘I actually like Remember better than Memorare, and as a first name.’ When he said that it just clicked! I went ahead and copied what I put on Instagram for you. 

REMEMBER ‘Zakar’ is the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for when God remembers. Instead of meaning to recall something forgotten, like we commonly use the word, it means to bring someone to mind and act on their behalf; to take action on a promise. Every instance where God is said to remember someone it involves an action. When Hannah (1 Samuel 1:19-20) and Rachel (Genesis 30:22) finally conceived after many years of infertility, it says that God remembered them and they conceived. 

Remember is also after the Memorare prayer ‘to remember,’ a prayer that has special meaning to us in our infertility journey. It is also in honor of the year of the Eucharist: ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ (Luke 22:19)

OCEAN is after Our Lady Star of the Sea and the ocean of divine mercy. 

TEREBINTH is her botanical name since all our daughters have one. The terebinth tree is a landmark tree because it grows huge and alone instead of in groves.  It is a tree that grows slowly but has a wood that is so strong it is almost indestructible. It remains green even in times of drought and can even regrow from its stump after being cut down. In the Bible David fought and defeated Goliath in The Valley of the Terebinth.  It was under a terebinth tree that the three visitors came to Abraham and told him that Sarah would finally conceive a son and be holding him within a year. It was also under a terebinth tree that Gideon was called by God to be a great warrior. The terebinth tree is a symbol of strength so her patron saint is St. Joseph under his title ‘St. Joseph most strong.’

She is our remembrance of God’s faithfulness and His intimate Abba love for us, that He is a Father who sees and remembers us by keeping His promises to our hearts in His best timing and way. The miracle of her life is a landmark of faith that we can return to when we need to be reminded of Whose we are and what He can do.”

Aren’t the different elements of Remember’s name amazing?! I’ve come to expect no less from Katheryn and her husband — each of their kiddos’ names are so deep with meaning and connections to our faith.

Congratulations to Katheryn and her hubby and big sibs Verity, Gethsemane, Bosco, Hyacinth, Exodus, Zephyr, and Sojourn, and happy belated birthday Remember!!

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Read all about how to get your own baby name consultation from either Theresa or myself here.

For help with Marian names, my book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links). It’s perfect for expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady!