prayers for a Spiritual Adoption
By Fr. Stef Bankemper
​Based on the poster "Little Sweet One", Archdiocese of Baltimore
The Spiritual Adoption program was begun to encourage people to pray for babies at risk of being aborted and to educate people about the development of a child in the womb. It is a very simple program: participants pledge to pray for nine months for a baby at risk of being aborted.
The original program provided information throughout the nine months about the baby’s development in the womb; on this page, that information forms the basis of the monthly prayers. You will notice also that these prayers are not just for the child, but for the mother as well.
If you know a mother who is considering aborting her child, you might choose to spiritually adopt that child; but most people do not know the child and mother for whom they are praying. That is OK; God knows who they are. In these prayers we have given the child the name Christopher, to remind us that this is not just theoretical – we are praying for real children; but we have put the name in quotation marks, so that anyone praying these prayers will know that they can insert any name, boy or girl, they choose.
Prayer at One Month
​
Heavenly Father,
The miracle of “Christopher” ‘s life continues,
and he is now 10,000 times bigger
than he was at conception.
Lord, how you trust us!
This tiny human being, whom you created,
you have given into the care of his mother.
He is totally dependent, receiving from her
all his nourishment, all the oxygen he needs.
Yet he is not a parasite:
in the amazing organ we call
the placenta, vessels from mother and child
intertwine without joining.
“Christopher”, even in his complete dependence,
is a unique and distinct life.
We ask, Lord, that as this mother
becomes aware of the new life within her,
you make her aware of this truth,
and make her realize that,
whatever rights she may have over her own body,
these do not include her child.
Let her know that the tiny heart
that will begin to beat within her womb this month
is someone else’s heart,
someone whose right to a full life
is as valid as her own.
​
Prayer at Two Months
Loving Father,
as “Christopher” begins his third month of life,
even the most hard-core, atheistic abortionist
calls him a “fetus”. In Latin fetus
means “offspring” or “young”; in biology,
it is the name given to the embryo in the uterus
“after it is clearly defined.” However one understands
The word, even those willing to kill “Christopher”
call him by a name that understands him,
at least physically, to be a developing human being.
Fingers and toes are forming, and his teeth are growing.
“Chrisopher”’s ears, nose, lips and tongue can be clearly seen, and his central nervous system is now functioning,
allowing him to begin to move his forty sets of muscles.
Good Father, in the great feast of Christmas
we celebrate when the Word became human like us.
Jesus, too, went through the same development as “Christopher”. He, too, was once two inches long, and yet grew to save the world from sin and evil.
In your mercy save both “Christopher” and his mother
from the evil of abortion.
Prayer at Three Months
Father of all, great and small alike,
at three months old and only three inches long,
“Christopher” is insignificant in the estimation
of many; yet even this tiny human being
has a unique set of fingerprints.
Help us to learn that no matter how small,
how insignificant or how “useless,”
every human being is unique in your eyes.
You already know “Christopher” ’s real name;
you know every choice he will ever make.
One day the umbilical cord through which
he now “breathes” will be cut, but the bonds
of love and knowledge which bind him
to you and you to him can never be cut.
Prayer at Four Months
O God beyond our imagination,
at four months REM’s – rapid
eye movements – have been recorded.
“Christopher” might begin dreaming.
What are the subjects of his dreams?
Are you visiting him, as you visited
Jacob in the Old Testament,
or Joseph in the New?
What secret plans are you planting
in “Christopher” ‘s now-maturing
brain? Protect him from being aborted,
Lord, that he may live to dream more dreams,
that your plans for him may be fulfilled.
Prayer at Five Months
Lord of heaven and earth,
“Christopher” has passed the half-way point
to birth. He is very active,
and is big enough for his mother
to feel his activity.
Let “Christopher” ‘s first kicks
be special to his mother,
making it obvious to her
that within her is a human being
who is alive. While babies
born at this age have survived,
grant that “Christopher” be brought
to full term within his mother’s womb.
Prayer at Six Months
God of love,
“Christopher” has undergone
some amazing changes in his short life.
From being microscopic at conception
he is now fourteen inches long.
He moves now, and is strong enough
to dent the uterine wall with his kicks.
He has begun to develop sleep patterns.
He has oil and sweat glands that function
and help to regulate his temperature.
He responds to sound, and his lungs
are so well developed that if he were born now
he would have a good chance of surviving.
It is an awesome responsibility
that you give to women. “Christopher” ‘s
best chance of survival right now
is a mother who will love him
no matter the cost to herself.
Grant her the grace to be able
to fulfill that responsibility.
​
Prayer at Seven Months
O God beyond all understanding,
“Christopher” is beginning to use his senses.
He can hear and respond to sounds,
even recognizing his mother’s voice.
His eyes will open and close,
and he will look around. He can taste,
touch, cough, yawn and hiccup.
Help us, O Lord, to use our senses.
Give us the grace to hear, recognize,
and respond to your voice
calling us to protect the innocent
lives in the world. Help us to see clearly
what is evil and what is good,
and help us to choose the good.
Grant us the courage to speak out
against the evil of abortion,
and speak up with solutions,
especially for women who feel
trapped or coerced into killing their children.
Prayer at Eight Months
Loving God,
Who hold all creation in your hands,
You hold “Christopher” in your hands,
and are preparing him to be able to live
outside his mother’s womb.
He is developing a layer of fat
that will keep him warm
after he is born. His lungs are now
fully developed, and capable of making
the transition to breathing air.
In the coming month, the last before his birth,
h will shift to a head-down position.
Allow him, in your mercy to continue
to develop, so that after he is born
he will have the best chance to live
a healthy life. Allow his birth
to be free of complications,
and bless his mother and father
with joy at the sight of their son.
Prayer at Birth
Lord of all the living,
“Christopher has been born!
Thank you for giving his mother
the grace to carry him, in spite
of all pressures, to term.
He has other protections now
than just his mother,
but hopefully these nine months
have bonded her to him forever.
Grant “Christopher” all the people
he will need in his life,
to nurture him, guide him,
And especially to teach him
about you. Grant him to know
that it was your love
that brought him into existence,
and your love that will carry him
throughout his life.