Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud

Catholic Charities, located in St. Cloud, Minnesota, has been licensed by the State of Minnesota as a child-placing agency since 1925. Thousands of children, mothers, fathers, and adoptive families have been served over the years. We primarily offer domestic infant adoption, but also facilitate international adoptions. Our international adoptions are provided in partnership with Holt International Children’s Services and All God’s Children’s International.

Orientation: Attendance at an Orientation session is an opportunity to learn the requirements and expectations of our adoption program and information about the different types of adoption. Orientations are presented by adoption staff, are free of charge and open to all who are interested in becoming adoptive parents, and are a required first step in the adoption process for those who have not adopted previously. General topics of discussion at orientations include Minnesota adoption guidelines, domestic and international adoptions, infant and special needs and older child adoptions, fees, wait times, length and description of process, and question-and-answer time. Accommodations are made for those outside the St. Cloud area. Application: You may request application materials after attending the Orientation session. Completed application materials must be returned to the agency with a picture of the applicants, medical forms, background release forms, and the application fee. Agency staff reviews applications and background and medical reports before proceeding with the Adoption Study. We will notify applicants if questions arise from the applications, background checks, or medical reports. Adoption Study (Pre-Adoptive Counseling): The adoption worker invites applicants to an Intake Interview. We interview couples together and separately, exploring their interest in adoption while allowing the adoption worker to get to know them. Applicants attend group education sessions dealing with topics such as infertility, openness, diversity, legal issues, and the needs of birthparents and adoptees and adoptive parents. Emphasis is placed on assessing the ability of applicants to meet the needs of the children and the requests of the birthparents. Applicants need to arrange for meetings and interviews during normal business hours. Length of Process: The length of time between the Orientation session and the Adoption Study depends on time of completion of the application