Icon of St. Joseph written by Franciscan Father Nathanael Theuma. As the foster father to Jesus, St. Joseph provides inspiration for Christians to discern their call to serve Christ present in today’s foster children. (stock.adobe.com)
A Prayer for Foster Children
Dear Joseph, foster father of Jesus
and protector of the Holy Family,
in you we contemplate
a model of courage and compassion.
Help us be more courageous
in making space for God in our lives,
so we may be better guardians of the vulnerable,
especially the children and their families
seeking our care.
As we contemplate your role,
alongside the Blessed Virgin Mary,
as first teacher of the faith to Jesus,
may we recognize our own call
to live with conviction and fidelity
God’s mercy and faithfulness.
Help us to be more compassionate,
so we may be present and faithful to all,
but especially to those children
whose lives are chaotic, anxiety-filled
and too often marred by violence.
As we contemplate the Holy Family’s moments
of stress in Jesus’ young life – your betrothal
to the Blessed Virgin Mary, your flight to Egypt,
losing Jesus in the Temple –
may we recognize our own call
to give tender care and protection
to those whom God brings to us.
Help us to be strong and wise in our faith,
yet tender and open to love, as you were.
May God grant that our families,
including our parish family,
be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel.
Amen.
Resources
Being a foster parent is a special calling, similar to God’s call to people to be a “forever” parent, or to the vocation of marriage. Not everyone has this calling to be a foster parent, and sometimes people find themselves moved to be a foster parent later in life.
Regardless, by our baptism, each of us is called to love our neighbor and to serve one another with a spirit of generosity. Therefore, each of us has a role to play in supporting foster parents.
This bilingual resource kit offers practical ways for a parish, and individual Catholics, to discern how they can be a community of support and love for children in the foster care system and their families, both foster and biological. Begin with the discernment guide: Each parish has a unique set of gifts and challenges which must be honored as parishioners discern their engagement.
What is the St. Joseph Ministry?
What role will you play in caring for foster children?
Liturgical resources (homily notes and Prayers of the Faithful)
From isolation to encounter: How our parishes can become "islands of mercy in the sea of indifference.”
St. Joseph offers us a model of how to respond when the task may seem too daunting.
Our tradition of caring for widows and orphans predates Christianity!
Events to highlight care for foster children and their families
How does a child enter the state's Child Protective System?
Check back often as we update our toolbox of resources for parishes and Catholics.