It’s National Adoption Month, and according to the Children’s Bureau, about 110,000 children nationwide are affected by adoption. Some of those children are in Saint Francis Ministries’ care, and they’re hoping for a new family this year.

As a foster care provider, Saint Francis also serves as an adoption resource for children who cannot safely return to their birth family. Children in foster care become available for adoption when all attempts to reunite a child with their biological parents have failed. A child can be adopted once parental rights are severed by the court (not by Saint Francis). That’s when a child most needs a “forever family,” a place to belong.

Again, according to the Children’s Bureau, in 2022:

• More than one in five children waiting for adoption were ages 13–17.
• The average age of all children waiting to be adopted was 7.6 years old.
• The average time in care for all children waiting to be adopted was 34.9 months.
• The average time in care for children waiting to be adopted after termination of parental rights was 19.1 months.

National Adoption Day (Saturday, November 23rd) honors those adoptive families and the children they welcome as one of their own.

Saint Francis Ministries celebrates adoptions finalized on National Adoption Day throughout the states and communities we serve.

Every year, children in foster care are formally adopted, thanks to the volunteer efforts of judges, attorneys, and court staff. For these court workers, SFM employees, and adoptive families, it’s a joyful day.

In a profession often filled with heartbreak, National Adoption Day offers child welfare workers (and the rest of us) a chance to celebrate new beginnings, hope for the future, and loving families. Watch our social media pages for photos and adoption news from Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas this month.

To learn more about adoption with Saint Francis Ministries, visit https://saintfrancisministries.org/adoption/.

To support children needing adoption with your prayers, consider enrolling yourself or your faith community in Fostering in Faith. Here are the details: https://saintfrancisministries.org/category/fostering-in-faith/.