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The Adopt-a-Sister-Friar-Priest-Hermit-Monk-Deacon-Nun-Virgin-Brother Program
These days you can not only adopt children and animals but you can adopt highways, platoons, watersheds, and even microbes!
Now you can adopt candidates for religious life and ordained life! Thanks to an email from Jerri, I discovered that the Diocese of Joliet-in-Illinois as well as dioceses across the country have programs to encourage vocations to consecrated life and to support those who are in the process of becoming a religious or ordained. Jerri says that for the past couple weeks, there’s been an blurb about the program in the bulletin. It reads in part:
ADOPT A SEMINARIAN OR CANDIDATE PROGRAM: This program is an opportunity for the youth group, school, religious education class or parish to adopt a seminarian (a man who is studying to be a priest) or a candidate (a woman preparing to be a sister), and encourage them on their journey by writing letters. This type of encouragement would be greatly appreciated by the men and women in formation.
After receiving Jerri’s email I did some more searching around and found a recent article on the subject from Catholic News Service. “Programs to ‘adopt’ women in formation seen as vocations aid” by Jackie Taylor (March 23, 2009) has some more examples of how the program works and its benefits for both the adopters and the adoptees.
My only caveat to this wonderful program is that I wish it also encouraged vocations for men to religious life as well as other Church vocations like consecrated virginity and hermit life.
When vocations are promoted, we sometimes only focus on religious life for women and priesthood for men, as if two gender-based versions of the same calling. Not so. Ordained life is a distinct calling and can be to the priesthood or to become a deacon. Both forms of ordained life are restricted to men.
Religious life is a very different calling and it is open to both men and women. It includes sisters, nuns, friars, monks, brothers. In addition there are hermits and consecrated virgins — not sure if they technically fall in the “religious life” category but all of these are considered forms of “consecrated life.”
So in the ideal world, we’d have a parish bulletin with the headline “The Adopt-a-Sister-Friar-Priest-Hermit-Monk-Deacon-Nun-Virgin-Brother Program” but who would ever want to title something like that!!??
Hmmm … anyone interested in an Adopt-A-Nun’s-Life program? 
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{ 26 comments }
How could I participate in this program? I am able to write letters, send small gifts and pray for my adoptee whether a man or woman,
Hi Elizabeth, How gracious of you! Thank you for writing. What diocese are you in? If not sure, what city?
Hi Sr. Julie,
Consecrated virgins living in the world are not technically considered religious, since we don’t profess vows per se (rather, we publicly state our resolution to live a life of virginity at the time we are consecrated) and we don’t belong to a community with a specific mission, spirituality, and founder (instead, we live as a part of the local diocese under the direct authority of the diocesan bishop). Although, it is possible to be both a consecrated virgin and a nun, since some Orders, like the Carthusians and some Benedictines, use the Rite of Consecration in addition to a nun’s solemn profession.
But as you mentioned, consecrated virginity “in the world” is definitely a public state of consecrated life, just as religious life is. In this way, I would think that consecrated virgins have more in common with religious than not.
Thus, so far I’ve never been too offended when people don’t distinguish between consecrated virginity and religious life—although I for one am always delighted when I see consecrated virgins specifically mentioned in a discussion on vocations!
Hi Sister Julie – I would also be interested in participating to encourage someone entering any form of religious life. I am in the Diocese of Philadelphia, PA. Thank you!
The Knights of Columbus have a program called RSVP, which encourages councils to adopt a seminarian or religious order candidate. What we do is support our seminarian with money for expenses, calls, visits when possible, invites to all our functions at the council and, of course, support through prayer for his vocation.
One other thing that I forgot to mention is that Bishop Roger Kaffer of the Joliet Diocese is the Illinois State Council Chaplain. The program in Joliet is an affshoot of the Order-wide program. Unfortunately, Bishop Kaffer has not been in the best of health of late and prayers for his recovery are appreciated. In the interim, Fr. Jim McIlhone is the interim State Chaplain and Fr. Chuck Tuttle is Associate State Chaplain.
Also, you can read more about the RSVP program on the Order’s web site, http://www.kofc.org and search for RSVP.
Good ol’ K of C adopted me as a postulant and paid for half of my tuition at the local Catholic College.
This has great potential for supporting our sisters in formation, but think of the development possibililties! “Sister Mary This One is looking forward to the day the convent’s 100 yr old elevator is replaced so that she can join the sisters in the main body of the convent chapel instead of from the infirmary balcony.”
(Inside joke: “Sister Mary This One” is what some of my sisters would call another sister when her name escapes them. It’s a lot better than “Sister Mary What’s-her-name”! SIGH. I was such a dumb postulant. I thought “Sister Mary This One” was a real person and that “of Blessed Memory” was a parish in Texas! @_@!)
I would love to adopt a sister. I can’t offer much financial support but I can offer my prayers and letters. I am a member of opus angelorum and prayer for priests I would love to do this for the sisters, also.
PS I am in the Diocese of St. Petersburg
Such an interesting programme!
Are there any age/gender/nationality/etc. conditions for adopting??
Wow. I didn’t know there were programs to adopt microbes. @_@
I think I would love to be involved in a program like this and offer support through letters. I’m going to have to check around and see if there’s anything similar in Canada.
Great idea, methinks – adopting a candidate, not microbes.
Sister Julie,
This sounds like a wonderful program. I’m a first year novice and wish I could be adopted! I need no financial support but prayers would be most welcome.
Corresponding with a youth group, school, religious education class would be would be fun and a good opportunity to foster more vocations so I hope this program goes into my area soon!
Sister Patricia
It would be the Adopt a SFPHMDNVB Program
Saa-Fep-Hem-Den-Vub? Saf-eph-med-neu-vub? Suf-f-mud-neu-vabee? Anyway I work it sounds like a Biblical name! LOL
Good luck!
Sister Patricia:
For what order are you a novice? Are you in the U.S.? dee
OOO!! This sounds fun!! I want to adopt a sister!
btw- do you have to be a certain age to do this?
What an awesome idea! Our parish has a young women entering Religious Life this summer. What can the parish do to “adopt” her? I would like very much to promote this in our bulletin but am unusure what to say.
Linda:
I have never been involved with this sort of thing. I would think, however, you could call the national Knights of Columbus office to get some ideas if your pastor isn’t familiar with this. dee
You can go to the Order’s website, http://kofc.org and click on the “Find a Council” link in the top menu bar. When the locator page appears, go through the steps and you’ll be given a list of councils near you.
I would not be surprised if your pastor already knows of this and, at least, the diocesean chancery should definitely know.
There is also your state council, which you can find as well on the Supreme website.
adopt a virgin? oh, my. i think i’m better off with a microbe.
I think this is a wonderful idea! It seems like a great way to get people involved in the growth of the Church through religious life. I can’t imagine how much a family or individual would learn by getting to know someone in formation or religious life (or whatever variation thereof).
I am a candidate for the consecration of virgins. I am in a diocese which supports the many seminarians we have through adopt a seminarian programs. The religious in formation tend to be out of sight and out of mind. Ditto for consecrated virgin candidates. I can’t tell you how touched I was to receive a card from a priest out of the blue telling me he’d offer a Mass for my intentions and that he supported my vocation. I can imagine other things where support would be helpful. Take for instance helping to furnish a home oratory for those consecrated virgins given permission to reserve the Blessed Sacrament in their homes. Same for diocesan hermits
Deerose,
I am a Servant of the Sacred Cross.
Sister Patricia
I mentioned Bishop Kaffer of Joliet in an earlier comment. I was informed yesterday that he had gone to his Eternal Reward. PLease offer a prayer for him, as he was a most extraordinary priest.
One of our local papers had a wonderful article on him.
http://tinyurl.com/mzrtwk
Thanks for letting us know, Dennis. Our prayers are with Bishop Kaffer’s family, loved ones, and faith community.
Dear Sister Patricia.
I just happened to read this 6 month old topic, but I think it sounds like a great idea and I would love to “adopt” you.
I am a 52 year old woman, living in Denmark and with no means of being able to offer financial support.
However, I can offer heartfelt and genuine prayers and good and warm thoughts, so if this sounds like something you would like to receive, please let me know.
Kind regards, Tulle.
Hello SisterJ
We would love to do this. We are in the Harrisburg Diocese of PA. If you know of anyone or can find us someone we appreciate it greatly.
Thank you for all that you are doing.
Kim