Overview
“When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. — John 19:25-27
Adopt-a-Priest is a ministry of prayer and sacrifice for the spiritual support of Catholic priests and seminarians with the participation of clergy, religious, and laity. It is dedicated to helping Jesus the Eternal High Priest, by helping His priests, especially pastors, to fulfill their priestly office and to support them in their lives of daily sacrifice.
By making a one-year pledge of Spiritual Adoption of their assigned priest, sponsors have the privilege of practicing Spiritual Motherhood following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary became the first spiritual mother of priests on Calvary. She united her prayer and sacrifice with that of her Son and offered this for her sons. In this way, she fully participated in the birth of the Church and in the mission entrusted to the Apostles, By their generous gift of daily prayer and sacrifice made on behalf of priests, sponsors too have the opportunity to participate more fully in the mission of the Church.
“We cannot do without a spiritual motherhood for our priestly life: let us entrust ourselves confidently to the prayer of the whole of Holy Mother Church, to the motherhood of the People, whose pastors we are but to whom are entrusted our custody and holiness let us ask for this fundamental support.”
—Letter on the Occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, May 7, 2008.
