Spiritual Adoption
Initiated in 1991, this simple yet effective program provides an opportunity for children, teens, adults and senior citizens to prayerfully intercede on behalf of moms and unborn babies threatened by abortion. Participants spiritually adopt a baby known by God to be at risk of abortion by pledging to pray the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen prayer daily for nine months.
The prayer cards, available through the RLA, include a space for participants to name the baby for whom they will faithfully pray. The Pray for Unborn Human Life prayer card does not mention abortion and can be used at any age level. The Our Lady of Guadalupe prayer card mentions abortion and thus should be used with older students or adults.
Schools and Parish School of Religion programs can promote Spiritual Adoption for the nine months of the school year, September through May. It works well for a parish to participate along with the school. Another option is to offer the program from the Feast of the Annunciation through Christmas. Students and parishioners can learn about the milestones of fetal development either through classroom posters or bulletin announcements.
At the end of the nine months of prayer, schools and/or parishes can hold a baby shower to gather new or gently used items for the agencies that provide a home or support for mothers with a crisis pregnancy. Information about these agencies can be found in the Spiritual Adoption Information Packets. In addition the Information Packets can be downloaded to access the following resources:
Spiritual Adoption activities:
- Additional Optional activities
- Month-by-month description of the baby’s development in the womb
- Sample elementary classroom discussion guide
- Sample parish bulletin insert
- Fetal development poster information
- Spiritual Adoption order form
To order spiritual adoption program materials, click here to complete the Materials Order Form. An invoice for the cost of the materials as well as shipping and handling will be included with the materials. Payment for the prayer cards or brochures ordered is requested upon receipt of merchandise.
For other materials such as fetal development posters, the RLA suggests Heritage House and Life Cycle Books.
