At his general audience on Wednesday, March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, Pope Leo XIV greeted Polish visitors and commended an undertaking being launched in Poland.
I cordially greet the Poles. Today Poland celebrates the Day of the Sanctity of Life. We greatly need initiatives such as the Spiritual Adoption of an Unborn Child, which is being launched today. In a time marked by the madness of war, it is important to defend life from conception until its natural end. I bless you all!
The Pope noted that Poland, like many countries, marks the feast of Jesus' conception as Respect Life Day. He also praised the Spiritual Adoption of an Unborn Child, a movement being undertaken by Polish Catholics.
What is this initiative? Where did it come from? And do we have to live in Poland to join in?
A movement with a long history
If you have been involved in pro-life advocacy or ministry, the notion of spiritual adoption of the unborn is probably not new to you. It hearkens back to another prominent religious figure in the news on Wednesday (for the announcement of his beatification date), the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen. As the movement for legalized abortion in the United States was growing in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Archbishop Sheen composed a brief prayer of spiritual adoption, with which one could pray for an unborn child at risk:
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I love you very much. I beg of you to spare the life of the unborn child I have spiritually adopted, who is in danger of abortion.
Soon the individual prayer became a movement. Whether on one's own or in a group -- or as a nation, in the case of Poland's Catholics -- the process is simple. To spiritually adopt an unborn child, pledge to pray Archbishop Sheen's prayer every day for nine months. We are praying, says the Diocese of Orange (California)'s Spiritual Adoption of an Unborn Child page, that "one particular but unknown child’s life be spared abortion and be allowed to continue to live." The understanding is that although the particular child is unknown to you, God knows who he or she is and hears your prayer.
Add a Hail Mary each day for the child's parents, that they may have the courage of Mary and Joseph to bring a child into the world in a challenging situation. You may even give the child a name in your heart, to emphasize the humanity of the unborn.
Spiritual adoption as a group
The Diocese of Orange encourages its parishes to involve families in the spiritual adoption process. Parishioners might begin the process together at a particular time, and be supported along the way with parish bulletin articles or small group meetings. The nine months then have the shape of a novena, and can, the diocese notes "serve as an opportunity to educate others about the development of the pre-born baby."
At the end of nine months you might like to host a baby shower. The baby shower is a visible means of imitating the Magi by providing assistance in the form of a donated baby item. These baby items can be given to one of the Respect Life Clinics, Centers or Shelters.
Just a a minute or two a day
Even if your parish or diocese does not sponsor a Spiritual Adoption of an Unborn Child initiative, you can make this pledge on your own or with your family. Archbishop Sheen's brief prayer and one Hail Mary take almost no time at all, an can be added to your meal blessing or night prayers.
Can it make a difference? According to the Diocese of Orange, "Our prayers CAN make a difference between whether a baby will be born … or aborted. Our prayers can also be a form of spiritual support for both of the parents."
And as Pope Leo XIV reminds us, prayer can make a difference in our war-torn world, too:
"In a time marked by the madness of war, it is important to defend life from conception until its natural end. I bless you all!"
If you have experience practicing the Spiritual Adoption of an Unborn Child, whether on your own or as part of a group, please tell us about it in the comments!
