Spiritual Adoption

[CatholicCajun]

Can anyone explain this to me. I know what it is, but would like to know more than my limited knowledge. Also, how does one go about getting spiritually adopted? Merci!!

 

[LilyM]

The only context in which I’ve heard of ‘spiritual adoption’ is that people (as I do) adopt (pray daily for) an unborn child in danger of abortion.

I’ve heard some people call others their ‘spiritual children’, is this what you mean? That’s usually after the ‘children’ start to develop a relationship with them, either by going to them for spiritual direction or other advice, writing to them etc etc.

 

[daughterofmary]

When this term is usually used I believe it means to take someone as one’s ‘spiritual child’ in a sense, as one would pray for them as if they were one’s child. You pray for their needs and for their salvation. You “adopt” them kind of. I have heard of this with the unborn, as mentioned in the previous post, and for priests.

I have been to various states and so have been able to attend many different parishes. I have seen this spiritualadoption.org)) program used in different parishes. Members are encouraged to take a card and pray a certain prayer for nine months for an unborn child, whom they “name”. They “spiritually adopt” the child and pray for their needs and for their salvation and for their safety.

Then there is this (opusangelorum.org/crusade/crusade_adoption/crusade_adoption_dw.html) program where one spiritually adopts a priest, praying for their sanctification and needs. One is in a sense a “spiritual mother” of many children.

I have heard of spiritual adoption in religious life, specifically among cloistered communities that I corresponded with. They consider themselves mothers to many children. They have spiritually adopted souls and pray for their special intentions and hold their intentions in their hearts always. They pray and make spiritual sacrifices for them (fast, do penance, etc.)

Hope this helped to better understand the concept.

EDIT: I have also heard the term “spiritual child” used when speaking about direction of a soul. One becomes the “spiritual child” of the director in a sense because the director is guiding them and watching out for them spiritually.

However, spiritual adoption, is more about prayer…kind of I don’t think it is common for one to know they have been spiritually adopted or for one who has… ‘adopted’ another to tell them. It is just about taking a person’s intentions under one’s wing and praying for them.

 

[daughterofmary]

To answer your question: “How does one go about getting spiritually adopted.”

Hmm… I would say to write a monastery of cloistered nuns and ask them to pray for you. I know that a priest wrote the Carmel that St. Therese was in and asked that a sister be assigned to pray for him as he was going to do missionary work or something like that. I forget the details. Maybe he wasn’t going to be a missionary. I don’t know. Anyway he did write and St. Therese was assigned to him. She prayed for him. He was a special little “spiritual child” of her’s. She did write him (although I don’t imagine one should hope for that from a cloistered nun), but he wasn’t her spiritual child in a director/directee kind of way. He was her spiritual child in that she prayed for him as a mother would a child, like Mary does for us. So, I would say if your looking to be prayed for like that to write a cloistered monastery and ask them to pray for you. Whenever someone writes for prayers, from what I understand, they take that person’s intentions under their wing and they become, in a way, their spiritual child whom they have adopted. They act as a mother in prayer.

We are spiritual mothers of those we adopt in prayer, cloistered nuns are in a special way spiritual mothers as their vocation is to pray for the Church, her members, and the salvation of all souls. They adopt all souls and pray for them. They become spiritual mothers of many, many children. The Vatican just released a document on this which can be found on the link provided in my last post about spiritual adoption of priests.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

When this term is usually used I believe it means to take someone as one’s ‘spiritual child’ in a sense, as one would pray for them as if they were one’s child. You pray for their needs and for their salvation. You “adopt” them kind of. I have heard of this with the unborn, as mentioned in the previous post, and for priests.

I have been to various states and so have been able to attend many different parishes. I have seen this spiritualadoption.org)) program used in different parishes. Members are encouraged to take a card and pray a certain prayer for nine months for an unborn child, whom they “name”. They “spiritually adopt” the child and pray for their needs and for their salvation and for their safety.

Then there is this (opusangelorum.org/crusade/crusade_adoption/crusade_adoption_dw.html) program where one spiritually adopts a priest, praying for their sanctification and needs. One is in a sense a “spiritual mother” of many children.

I have heard of spiritual adoption in religious life, specifically among cloistered communities that I corresponded with. They consider themselves mothers to many children. They have spiritually adopted souls and pray for their special intentions and hold their intentions in their hearts always. They pray and make spiritual sacrifices for them (fast, do penance, etc.)

Hope this helped to better understand the concept.

EDIT: I have also heard the term “spiritual child” used when speaking about direction of a soul. One becomes the “spiritual child” of the director in a sense because the director is guiding them and watching out for them spiritually.

However, spiritual adoption, is more about prayer…kind of I don’t think it is common for one to know they have been spiritually adopted or for one who has… ‘adopted’ another to tell them. It is just about taking a person’s intentions under one’s wing and praying for them.

I have spiritually adopted a priest from :
opusangelorum.org
email: contact@opus.angelorum.org

This year there is a Marian invocation to petition Our Lady as Mary, Mother of the High and Eternal Priest, to pray that all priest’s hearts be kept wholly for The Lord.

One receives a new card in June of each year (Feast of The Sacred Heart) with a different priest together with the priest’s name and the prayer to pray daily, which comes from The Congregation for The Clergy.

Blessings…Barb

 

[CatholicCajun]

Thanks everyone for the information. I was interested in me being spiritually adopted. I already have adopted a priest and am on my second priest. I really appreciate your time. God Bless.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Thanks everyone for the information. I was interested in me being spiritually adopted. I already have adopted a priest and am on my second priest. I really appreciate your time. God Bless.

Apologies…I got things the wrong way round!

It is true that if one has a spiritual director and/or confessor, he/she adopts one as a spiritual child and prays for one and by the sake token the one directed adopts the director as one’s spiritual guide and prays for them personally too.

If you know an order of contemplative nuns or priests, you could contact them and ask if a priest, brother or sister would keep you in their prayers. Sometimes some contemplative orders will arrange that a priest, brother or sister prays for you personally and may also write to you and you exchange letters. I am not too sure nowadays how prevalent amongst the contemplatives this still may be nowadays. For many years, and some 35 years ago now, I had a contemplative nun who prayed for me personally and we exchanged letters. She eventually left the Order to become a consecrated diocesan hermit.

I am not too sure either how the following program is going and if it is still full, but this thread may hold interest for you - you could always contact Eldridge Carmel and find out and be put on their list if the program is still full.
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=3717399&postcount=1

Blessings and regards…Barb

 

[CatholicCajun]

Thanks Barbara Therese. I am going to sit down and write a letter to a convent today, I already have one in mind, I was not sure of how to go about getting this done. God Bless.