My Naming Ceremony

[Dasia Anderl]

My partner and I put together a Naming Ceremony to announce to our family and friends my transition to womanhood. I wanted to rent the sanctuary at church for this but it was out of our budget. We invited everyone over to our home and had everyone bring a potluck item to share for after the ceremony. I was trying to be as respectful as I could be to our parents whom are Lutheran and Catholic. I thought something ceremonious would help them understand that my intentions were serious. The Leader was a close friend of mine dressed in Lutheran Layperson robe who was excellent at public speaking. I changed my deadname to initials. I don’t share that with anyone. I hope this gives you a helpful perspective. I also announced my transition my church’s bulletin as “Good News”.

The litany went like this:

 

Dasia’s Naming Ceremony Outline

Joan:Spirit of Life and of Love, Today we open our hearts and minds to You, striving to recognize through Your presence the great and glorious complexity of the world around us. As we open ourselves to the many wonders and mysteries of the human race, we ask for the wisdom that comes with understanding experiences outside of our own. We ask to enter into the joys and sorrows of people whose journeys may seem distant from ours, but who share a common goal: to live fully and joyfully in the world that we share. 

Blessed be. 

Community: Amen

Leader: Because God’s image encompasses and transcends both male and female, we are assured that we can show that image whether we are masculine or feminine.  We are further assured that society need not be the arbiter of our gender identity.

Brother and sisters, J.D.T. has come before you today, acknowledging the brokenness of a conflict over gender identity in his life, yet affirming that in Christ there is healing. J wishes to declare that, for him, healing includes gender transition, and that from this day he no longer wishes to live as a man, but wishes to transition into the role of a woman. 

Leader: Do you wish to be known as a woman? 

Dasia: I do. 

Leader: How do you wish to be named? 

Dasia:Dasia N Anderl.

Leader: You have heard Dasia’s intention to transition.  Do you intend to support her in this? 

Community: We do. 

Leader: In LOVE you should, therefore, faithfully care for her and assist her in every way as God gives you opportunity, that she may bear witness to the faith we profess, and that, living in the covenant of her baptism and in communion with the church, she may lead a godly life until the day of Jesus Christ. Do you promise to fulfill these obligations?

Community: We do. 

Leader: Community repeat after me.  Dasia, we affirm you as a member of our family and community.

We assure you of our continuing love. 

We promise to love and accept you as the person you are rather than the person we think you ought to be. Leader: Let us pray. Gracious God, through water and the Spirit you made this woman your own.  You forgave her all her sins and brought her to newness of life. Continue to strengthen her with your Holy Spirit, and daily increase in her the gifts of your grace: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

Community: Amen.

Leader:J.D.T. has now become Dasia N. Anderl, a woman of God.  Let us, as the people of God, affirm our welcome of her among us and thereby pledge her our support. 

Do you affirm Dasia’s welcome and your support of her as a member of God’s family? 

Community: We do. 

Leader: Do you accept Dasia as a fellow member of the body of Christ, a child of the same heavenly Father, and a worker with us in the kingdom of God. 

Community: We do. 

Leader: Gracious God, We are reminded every day, through the complex beauty of the world around us, that You are a lover of all Your creation. You give life, redeem life and stay with us forever — nudging us forward into the great goodness for which we were created. Thank You for loving us no matter what. Thank You for standing with us no matter the forces against us. Thank You for giving us the strength to live and love another day. Hear our prayer, Holy Spirit, to make a home for all people, in all churches that call themselves the body of Christ. May we work today toward healing for those who have been hurt and harmed in the very places that house Your Spirit. And may we work to do everything in our power to create a safer world for our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters.  

Community: Amen.  

Leader:  Go in peace. 

 

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[Michelle Liefde]

Thank you Dasia, for sharing your ceremony with us. I did enjoy it and it was well worth reading through the “computer junk”  Again, thank you.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Dasia Anderl

[Dawn]

Hi Dasia!

I love this! What a beautiful idea! What a wonderful way to respectfully and joyfully say to family and friends “This is me!”.

God’s Peace,

Dawn

1 user thanked author for this post.

Dasia Anderl

[Dasia Anderl]

Hi Dawn!

Thank you for appreciating my effort. It meant a lot to my partner and I. We made our stand in a loving way.

It didn’t warm over my dad. He became flustered and I thought he was going to freak out. So I disowned him. That’s what I’ve meant by having a stone heart. I’m done being told who to be.

Best,

Dasia

[Dasia Anderl]

I copied the litany from my email. Darn, it didn’t translate very well. Added a lot of computer garbage. I would delete it and retry but…I can’t find that button. I hope you all can see my words in between the computer garbage and enjoy anyway.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Dawn

[Author]

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