“To adopt a child is a great work of love. When it is done, much is given, but much is also received.”
– Pope St. John Paul II
Adoption is a beautiful and life-giving option, whether you are hoping to adopt or looking to place a child. Making an adoption plan is an incredible gift that a pregnant woman can offer to her child. There are many misconceptions surrounding the idea of adoption. It isn’t giving someone up; rather, adoption is an act of entrustment, made in a spirit of love, that is generous and sacrificial. A woman who is considering entrusting the care of her child to another couple enters into a sacred time of discernment seeking to answer the question: “What is the most loving thing I can do for my child?” Discover the possibilities and consider if adoption is right for you.
Agencies and Resources
- National Council for Adoption: Passionately committed to the belief that every child deserves to thrive in a nurturing, permanent family, National Council For Adoption’s mission is to meet the diverse needs of children, birth parents, adoptees, adoptive families, and all those touched by adoption through global advocacy, education, research, legislative action, and collaboration.
- Holy Family Catholic Adoption Agency: offers support and resources for those hoping to adopt or to place a child for adoption. Contact them at: holyfamilyadoption@protonmail.com.
- Bethany Christian Services: offers adoption services and post-adoption support
- Gladney Center for Adoption: offers adoption services and post-adoption support
- Siena Adoption Services: a fully licensed placement agency for parents in Virginia seeking a child for adoption. Siena offers home studies, counseling, education and post placement services.
- Reece’s Rainbow: learn more about sponsoring or adopting children with special needs
- BraveLove: an organization on mission to change the perception of adoption by equipping professionals with adoption resources for expectant mothers, educating the public through dynamic storytelling, and fostering a supportive community for birth mothers.
- Springs of Love: the mission of Springs of Love is to raise up more Catholic foster and adoptive families and to support those touched by fostering and adoption through educational programming, small groups, and parish care teams.
The Respect Life Office is not responsible for or endorsing the policies and practices of any of the agencies listed here, but are listing them solely as a resource for people to consider.
Stories of Adoption
Radiance Foundation: Ryan Bomberger speaks to the loving and life-changing power of adoption and collects other stories of families touched by adoption.
Meet the Watts family, a beautifully diverse family with 14 children (13 were adopted):
I Lived on Parker Avenue: a powerful documentary about a young man’s journey to meet his birth parents:
- Are you considering adoption? The book Discerning the Will of God by Fr. Gallagher is a helpful resource for discovering God’s plan for you!
- Do you have questions about adoption? In his book, Adoption: Choosing It, Living It, Loving It, Dr. Ray Guarendi, father of ten adopted children, shares his experience and dispels common misconceptions.