Introducing…
Dhilan Dietrich John Sethupathy
Dhilan
The name Dhilan is of Indian origin, and in some parts of India, it has come to mean “from the heart.” And, in other traditions, slight variants of Dhilan mean “like a lion” (French) and “loyal, faithful, true” (Irish). In keeping with these meanings, we hope that Dhilan will become a man of love, strength, and integrity.
Dietrich (Deet-trik)
The namesake for this middle name is Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), a Christian theologian whose writings I (Praveen) have strongly resonated with. Out of Bonhoeffer’s deep faith and intellectual integrity, came a thoughtful, principled, and active opposition to Hitler’s Third Reich that eventually led to his own death in a concentration camp at the young age of 39. Dietrich lived out the call to love God with his “sound mind” -- to actively engage the world without fear or insecurity and to create a culture of honest and critical thinking toward the goal of honoring God, pursuing integrity, and loving others. We pray this for our son Dhilan.
John
The most important reason for this middle name is to honor Dhilan’s maternal grandfather, John Shewman. One of Caedmon’s middle names is Raju (in honor of the paternal grandfather) and our daughter’s first name, Rani Marie, is in honor of both maternal and paternal grandmothers. So it is fitting that we honor Grandpa Shewman through Dhilan’s name. The name also happens to mean “God is gracious.”
