UPDATED: Want to Help Marriage and the Family? Adopt A Synod Father!

The bishops’ synod on marriage and family is in full swing and it seems every faction of the Church — as well as non-Catholics and the media — are standing ready to complain or pass judgment on one statement or another. But here’s an alternative: Adopting a synod father to pray for the duration of the synod.

Adopt a Synod Father is a simple web campaign designed to help the faithful take action and put their prayers where their mouths and are. As the site states:

Our shepherds need our prayers to be heralds of the beauty of the Church’s teaching on marriage and the family as taught by Our Lord in the Gospels and faithfully handed down to us through tradition as a precious jewel. Families and society at large deserve the Church’s fidelity and her witness at this moment in history.

Speaking of families, adopting a synod father may be a great way for your family to be in solidarity with the bishops at this very important meeting as they discuss issues that affect many issues that affects spouses, children, and family life in general.

Taking action is as easy as going to the web site and clicking the “adopt” icon half way down the page. After an email message opens in your browser, you send the email as is and then you’ll receive a reply with the name of a synod father to pray for.

I know what you’re thinking: What if you get someone you don’t care for? Well, you could say that’s exactly who you should be praying for — someone you think may be thwarting the Spirit. Plus, all the better for your own spiritual life… “love your enemies” and all that.

Adopting a synod father may not be as exciting as telling your Facebook friends how right you are about the dangerous views of archbishop so-and-so, but if Scripture and the saints are right, it will probably be a lot more effective.

UPDATE: After this article was published, the ability to sign up to “adopt” a synod father on the web site was no longer accessible, but it’s back up now. You can sign up only until Saturday  October 10, the first week of the synod. Over 25,000 people have signed up so far to pray. after that, we encourage you to check out this full list of synod participants to choose one for yourself, or visit a similar site called Adopt A Bishop.

Zoe Romanowsky is Lifestyle Editor and Video Content Producer for Aleteia