Start a Spiritual Adoption Prayer Program

Below you will find some useful information and links to other resources that can help you start a Spiritual Adoption prayer program.

How did the prayer begin and why do we need to share it?

In 1972, a court decision was rendered which legalized abortion throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy. After the Roe v. Wade decision, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, encouraged people to pray the spiritual adoption prayer of the unborn. He proposed that we pray that one particular but unknown child’s life be spared from abortion with the following prayer to the Holy Family. It became known as the Spiritual Adoption Prayer.

 “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to spare the life of the unborn child that I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion.”

Prayer of Blessed Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

See also this article from the National Catholic Register which includes contributions from Bob Paige, the founder of SpiritualAdoption.org!

https://www.ncregister.com/features/spiritual-adoption-sheen-style

How does a Spiritual Adoption Program work?

How many prayer team members are required? A program requires 2 or more participants who pledge to pray Venerable Fulton Sheen’s prayer for nine months for a baby who is in danger of abortion. Together as a community of faith calling for the intercession of the Holy Family, our prayers can be powerful for that unborn child!

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” – Matthew 18:20

1) Order your prayer cards and distribute to your prayer team. It normally takes us 2 weeks to fill and ship an order unless the cards are out of stock which can then add an additional 2 weeks to ship.

2) To Spiritually Adopt an unborn child, each prayer team member names the child they are praying for. On the back of each participant’s prayer card, they will write the date they will begin praying and the name of the child they are spiritually adopting. There is power in a name! Perhaps you will name the child after a saint or loved one who inspires you in the faith or maybe a name that has been on your mind recently or one that you’ve carried with you for some time. .

Many people have found that naming the child helps to keep them focused on the reality that their prayers are helping to save a particular baby from the harm of abortion. There are some amazing stories involving the naming of the child as part of the Spiritual Adoption Prayer that we will be sharing on our Witness page!

 “And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all marveled. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.” – Luke 1:63-66

3) During each day of the 9 months of the program, the prayer team will pray personally the Spiritual Adoption prayer. While you can order wristband reminders to help all to remember to pray or that they are part of a greater prayer team, placement of the prayer card in a noticeable location where you cannot miss it during your daily routine is perhaps the best way to remember (in your car, on your door, mirror, etc.). If you miss praying one day, simply pray as soon as you remember. Perseverance in prayer is the aim!

4) Communicate throughout the 9-months and get together as a team to build up the hope that God gives his faithful! The program leader can send a weekly communication or come together each month to hear testimonial talks on the power of prayer or to hear personal experiences with abortion or the positive impact of intercession for women in the midst of an unplanned pregnancy.  

At the end of the program a community gathering or a themed ‘baby shower’ or ‘birthday’ celebration can be held where donated gifts or baby items can be collected and donated to a local crisis pregnancy center.

Need a speaker for or assistance with your Spiritual Adoption program? Let us know!

If the prayer group has younger members, each month children could learn about the respective 9-months of a baby’s development in the womb. Some program leaders have sent monthly “Thank you” notes via email or hard-copy to the participants from the unborn baby each month with information on their current stage of development. This is especially nice for school and religious education programs for children and helps the participants form a genuine sense of connection with their adopted baby while learning about the baby’s development.

Please see below for additional materials that are available for young students who want to participate!