The U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops celebrates a novena to Jesus’ adoptive father March 10-18, ahead of the saint’s supper on March 19.
The novena prayers, which will be held online in English and Spanish, have in recent years been an annual initiative of the USCCB’s Respect Life Project, which is part of the conference’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities.
Each day includes a passage of Scripture for silent reflection, as well as prayers and a petition to St. Joseph for the intention given.
The first day of the novena is dedicated to mothers placing their children up for adoption, with the Scripture of Exodus 1:22-2:6,10 in which Moses’ mother saves her infant son from Pharaoh’s attack by beating him into a basket of reeds. The daughter of Pharaoh retrieves from the Nile to adopt the child.
The following days of the novena focus on parents and relatives presenting their children for adoption, children awaiting adoption, married couples seeking adoption, children in a row, and adoptive mothers, fathers, and relatives.
The novena was first written through Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston during his tenure as chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said Anne Ferreira, deputy director of the Secretariat for Education and Outreach.
“Adoption is a factor close to his heart, and he has made it a priority during his tenure as president,” he told OSV News, noting that the prayers were first finalized and published in 2016 under the direction of Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York. York.
The novena is posted at 7:30 a. m. CST on Respect Life’s X and Facebook accounts. Participants can also sign up for prayers via email or text message by visiting the online novena page on respectlife. org/adoption-novena.
In a January 2022 statement, Pope Francis described openness to adoption as “a generous attitude. . . beautiful and good. “
“Joseph shows us that this kind of connection is not secondary; It’s not a stopgap measure,” he said. “This kind of selection is within the bureaucracy of love, fatherhood and motherhood. “
Adoption statistics have declined in years, both nationally and internationally.
According to the National Council for Adoption, about 95,306 children were followed in the U. S. In the U. S. in 2020, 17% fewer than in 2019. La majority of those adoptions (58%) were public, and less than a portion (42%) were through personal channels.
The board stated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reported decline. It said in its December 2022 “Adoption Through the Numbers” report that the overall reduction in adoptions was “consistent” with chart reports, which indicated “fewer prospective parents seeking adoption counseling and fewer placements conducted with agency and attorney involvement. “
In addition, births in the United States “fell 4% in 2020,” according to the report.
The U. S. Department of State’s July 2023 Intercountry Adoption Report. The U. S. Department of Health indexed 1,517 incoming youth in fiscal year 2022, with 25 U. S. adoptions from the U. S. to 1,517 young people. U. S. to other countries. This total is down from 1,785 in the last fiscal year.
Colombia, India, and South Korea are the most sensitive countries of origin for inbound international adoptions to the United States. The number of days required to complete the adoption procedure ranged from just under three hundred (Poland) to more than 1,430 (Burkina Faso). .
The State Department report also highlights the effect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 on intercountry adoptions in the United States, and the war halted (with a few exceptions) adoptions from Ukraine, which in the past was among the most sensible countries of origin for adoptions. in the U. S.