Patron Saint William of Rochester

St. William of Rochester, also named St. William of Perth was dedicated to God, attending Mass daily, feeding the poor, and even adopting an abandoned baby he found on the church step. He named the baby, David. David would eventually murder St. William and rob him while they were on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. After his canonization, St. William was named the patron saint of adopted children.

Many Catholics who have adopted children wear a St. William medal or a St. William necklace and pray for the intercession of their patron saint to give them the faith and strength to raise their precious adopted child. It is also common for adoptive parents to give their new child a St. William charm or a St. William necklace as a remembrance of their special adoption day.

Prayer for an Adopted Child

We have been blessed with the precious gift of this child. After so much waiting and wishing, we are filled with wonder and gratitude as we call you our daughter/son. Our daughter/son, our child, you have grown to life apart from us. But now we hold you close to our hearts and cradle you in our arms with our love. We welcome you into the circle of our family and embrace you with the beauty of a rich tradition.

We pledge ourselves to the creation of a happy home and to a life of compassion for others, hoping that you will grow to cherish and emulate these ideals.

God of new beginnings, teach us to be mother and father, worthy of this sacred trust of life. May our daughter/son grow in health. May s/he be strong in mind and kind in heart, a lover of God, and a seeker of peace. Bless all of us together beneath your shelter of peace, and grant our new family, always, the harmony and love we feel today.

By Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso