What is the Process for Catholic Adoption?

pregnant woman wondering about the Catholic adoption process
Being Catholic and experiencing an unexpected pregnancy can be confusing and may leave you feeling unsure of where to turn. Do not let your faith be shaken. You can maintain your Catholic faith and secure that faith for your baby as well. If you choose adoption, you can choose adoptive parents who will raise your child in the Catholic Church.

On your adoption journey, emotional support is important. If there is a priest, nun, or another member of your congregation you can confide in, turn to them for guidance and support. If you are unsure of the reaction you will receive, speak to one of our very experienced adoption coordinators. She can help you with ideas of how to approach the subject and how to prepare yourself for any reaction. Sometimes the initial reaction to an unexpected pregnancy and the subject of adoption is not what you might hope. Just remember, when you share news like this, it comes as a surprise, and people may need some time to think and take in this information.

To start the process, you will contact an adoption coordinator by phone, text,  or email. You will be asked to fill out some forms and provide some information. Your coordinator will want to know if you have the resources you need, such as medical, housing, and other necessities. She will also want to know if you would like to take advantage of some professional or peer counseling. This can be very helpful if you are unsure of your adoption choice or if you just want someone to talk to who has been there and understands your situation.

Once you have provided your information and you feel confident in your decision to place your baby for adoption, your adoption coordinator will have you check out some adoptive parent profiles. If having adoptive parents of the Catholic faith is important to you, you can view Catholic families and choose a few that you would like to receive more information. We have amazing Catholic families throughout the nation. You may want a family that has other children or one that doesn’t. Perhaps you see your child growing up on a farm or in a big city. These choices and what the contact will look like after the adoption are up to you. You will find a couple who matches you and your vision.

young woman looking at Catholic parents online in her adoption processOnce you choose a couple, your adoption coordinator will set up a meeting. This can be a phone call, Zoom meeting, or even an in-person visit. Once the match is made, you and the adoptive couple, along with your coordinator, can begin making plans for how much they will be involved in your pregnancy, how things will go at the hospital, and what the contact will look like after.

During your pregnancy, you may want the adoptive parents to come with you to the doctor, or you may wish to share ultra-sound pictures. You may also want this time to yourself and prefer to have a friend or family member with you for these appointments. This is up to you.

You can decide who will be in the delivery room at the hospital, who will feed the baby, and how the release of you and the baby will go. Your adoption coordinator will help you create a hospital plan so that everyone, including hospital staff and the adoptive family, knows what your wishes are.

Your coordinator will also help you and the adoptive family write your Post Adoption Contact Agreement, which is important in an open adoption. This is to make sure you and the adoptive parents are on the same page. If you want pictures and updates once a year or a private Facebook or social media page, you can view pictures and videos on, that can be arranged. You may want a visit once a year or more. This, too, can be arranged and will all be outlined in the agreement. An open adoption has been proven, in most cases, to be best for the birth parents, adoptive parents, and most of all for the child.

When you are at a crossroads, you pray for guidance. Placing your child for adoption is an act of faith. You are blessing another couple with a part of your heart. You are making their dreams of a family come true, you are placing your child in a safe, loving home, and this is one of the hardest things you will probably ever do. Take comfort in the knowledge that this is not goodbye forever. This is a journey that will be part of your life. You decide how big a part you want it to be and choose adoptive parents that hope for the same.