Patron saints: what does the Church say?

I do not think there is any one prescribed way to choose a patron saint. Some are given a saint\'s name as infants, others choose the saint venerated on their birthday, some choose a saint they particularly admire and want to emulate. I don\'t think it is absolutely \"required\" to have a saint\'s name. I converted to Orthodoxy 20 years ago and only recently took a saint\'s name, with the blessing of my spiritual father, of course. So, I struggled with this same question for a long time. My advice is to seek the guidance of your spiritual father, pray to God for enlightenment, and then wait. He will answer in the way (and time) that is most profitable for your soul.