The 206th Diocesan Convention on Oct 25, 2025, passed Resolution 1: Foster Care Advocacy in Maine, which encourages the diocese to include prayer for children in foster care this liturgical year, either as a petition within the Prayers of the People or as a standalone prayer offered during meetings and gatherings.
From the First Sunday of Advent 2025 through Christ the King Sunday 2026, churches and diocesan event organizers are encouraged to include a specific prayer for children in foster care—either as a petition within the Prayers of the People or as a standalone prayer offered during meetings and gatherings.
Suggested text for within Prayers of the People:
We pray for all those impacted by the imperfect systems meant to care for children who cannot remain with their families of origin. We pray especially for these children, and for judges and social workers, foster and biological families, school and community members, that healing and peace may be found.
Suggested standalone prayers:
God of Love who cares for each of your children as precious and unique, we pray to you in lament of children’s suffering in this world, especially today for those children in our foster care system. We know the systems designed to support vulnerable children are often ineffective and inadequate, and we ask your healing comfort be poured out upon those who offer love and commitment to vulnerable children despite these challenges.
God, we pray for children in foster families across our state, nation and world, and we pray for all those impacted by the challenges in the systems our human hands have built, and which often fall short of fully addressing complex needs. May each child in care feel a sense of peace and belonging, may all foster care families feel supported and valued, and may all of our imaginations be inspired to create new ways in which to respond in love to the needs of all children and families.
Foster Care in Maine
The State of Maine has some of the highest reported rates of child abuse and neglect in the United States, and most children enter foster care as a result of neglect, trauma, and abuse. A Family for ME is a partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services and Spurwink Services focused on raising awareness of the urgent need and finding Maine families who are willing and able to parent children in foster care. If you are curious about what’s involved in being a resource parent, A Family for ME offers monthly informational webinars on the second Monday of the month at 6 p.m. These informal sessions (which are not required to be a resource parent) include:
- An overview of being a resource parent
- The steps of the licensing process
- Youth in foster care
- Maine’s needs for resource families