Discernment Resources
We offer the following resources to help individuals and couples who are discerning growing their family through fostering or adopting. Know that we are praying for you as you prayerfully follow the path that God has set for you.
Discernment Quiz: 6 Questions for Clarity
Are YOU called to foster or adopt? Take our discernment quiz! If you have been wondering if you are called to foster or adopt, try answering the questions in our quiz!
Couples’ Novena for Discernment
Making a big decision in life – like the decision to begin fostering, or to start down the path to adoption – can be overwhelming. We don’t always know where God is calling us, or we can’t differentiate our own desires from God’s will in our lives. Praying a novena for discernment can be a tool to help you organize your thoughts and listen to what God is telling you.
Practical Realities of Fostering
Watch the webinar: Foster and adoptive parents Krystle and Tim, Erin and Nick, and Allison and Steve share with Kimberly about their journey with foster care. Discussion focuses on discernment and the common practical questions couples have as they start to explore fostering. Available only through our free Be Not Afraid retreat.
A Man’s Take on Discernment
Watch the webinar: Panelists JD Flynn of The Pillar, Chris Chapman of Visitation Sessions, and Ron Paydo, foster father to more than 200 children, join Kimberly for an honest conversation about discerning the call to foster and adopt, from a dad’s perspective. Available only through our free Be Not Afraid retreat.
Discernment Stories
Preparing Heart Before Home
When our daughter was born, we found out we were chosen to be her parents on a Monday evening an …
Making Room
This morning as I was driving home from the gym, a song popped up in my playlist that caused …
Ten Things I Wish I’d Known About Emergency Foster Care
Last year, our Department of Social Services (DSS) sent a plea out to foster families in our area: …
A Heart Broken (and Blessed)
I ask a lot of questions. I always have. My desire to understand, to research things, to uncover …
God’s Fingerprints
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways, says the Lord.” ~ …
Children Are Gifts, Not Rights
I have never been big on gift exchanges for Christmas or birthdays. I’m not sure why. I …
Register for our Foster & Adoption Discernment Retreat Video Series
Have you wondered if God might be calling you to open your heart to foster or adopt a child? Register for our virtual “retreat” and receive a code for free access to our “Be Not Afraid” discernment video series. In this self-paced series, you will hear beautiful testimonials from couples who have answered the call to foster and adopt.
- Catholic foster & adoptive parents share their stories
- Learn the 8 steps for Ignatian discernment
- Hear about a couples’ discernment of whether to adopt a special needs child
- Watch the webinar: A Man’s Take on Discernment
- and more!
Commentary
Foster parenting: an education in love
Laura and Kyle always desired a big family. Through the grief of six miscarriages, they began to realize: “We thought that since God had been teaching us how to say goodbye, perhaps He was calling us to become foster parents.”
Featured Article
Busting 10 Myths About Adoption
Don’t let the myths surrounding adoption stop you from growing your family in this beautiful way. Adoption is more in reach than you think!
Featured Article
10 “First Steps” to Adoption
Adoption may seem overwhelming and out of reach. To discern if this might be God’s path for you, start by taking just one step… then another. Use our list of “first steps” to get started!
