Catholic Charities continues to cultivate
loving homes for children

Today is the last day of National Adoption Month, and the signs of transition are all around us. Yesterday marked the transition in our church calendar into the season of Advent, a time when we prepare ourselves to celebrate the greatest gift of all—God’s saving grace. As Bishop Burbidge reminded all of us in his statement at the beginning of National Adoption Month, “Adoption has deep roots in our Catholic faith and is evident in Sacred Scripture, as St. Joseph was loving foster father of Our Lord.”
 
Throughout National Adoption Month, the Virginia Catholic Conference (VCC), along with many other organizations, have participated in a national campaign to raise awareness of the importance of adoption and foster care through #nationaladoptionmonth. In Virginia, this need for awareness and action is particularly important since the Commonwealth ranks near the bottom nationally in finding permanent adoptive homes for children in foster care.
 
Virginia’s three Catholic Charities organizations—Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington (CCDA), Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC), and Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia (CCEVA)—provide needed adoption and foster care services, often for cases in which placements are the most challenging. Here is more about the vital work they do.
 
CCC CEO Jay Brown:
 
“We are proud that in 2020, the dedicated and passionate staff at Commonwealth Catholic Charities assisted with 85 domestic, international, and foster care adoptions and helped 70 families with post-adoption services. CCC plays a vital role in adoptions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are one of only four adoption agencies in the Richmond area and one of only two agencies in the entire Western region of the state. Additionally, CCC is the only full-service agency—providing all services to both the birth family and the adoptive family—in the Richmond area. Commonwealth Catholic Charities has provided adoption services, helping thousands of individuals and families, for over 97 years. We are, and always have been, committed to finding loving, permanent homes for every child in our care.”
 
CCEVA CEO Christopher Tan:
 
“The central thread of our work in adoption and pregnancy support is the dignity and sanctity of all human life.  Since 1932 and through the changing landscape of this country, this core value has allowed us to partner with a variety of agencies to connect children with their forever family, support pregnant mothers in their choice to parent, and help adoptees throughout the adoption process.  The dignity and sanctity of human life will also be our guiding star that drives us forward to expand services beyond adoption to pregnancy support case management and post adoption services that help adoptive families thrive.”
 
CCDA Pregnancy and Adoption Support Program Director Meaghan Lane:
 
“Catholic Charities Diocese of Arlington has been serving all members of the adoption triad, adoptive families, adoptees and birth parents, since 1947.  As adoption is a lifelong journey, we provide a lifetime of support to all who are served in our program.  We recognize that in order for adoption to occur, there must first be some type of crisis or trauma.  This is why we take a holistic approach to meeting women and families in their moment of need, walking with them, and helping to stabilize their circumstances so that their children (born and unborn) have the opportunity to grow and thrive in a stable and healthy environment.  We provide community collaboration and education to equip our partners to empower women and families to make informed decisions on what is best for them and their children.  Each year, over 400 clients are served in this program through pregnancy support, parenting support, post adoption support, infant adoption, and foster care adoption.  For many of our families, faith is an important factor as to why they pursue adoption or placing a child for adoption which is why working with an agency that supports their emotional and physical needs as well as their spiritual needs is so important.” 
 
As we conclude National Adoption Month, we encourage you to take time to explore the outstanding work that our Catholic Charities organizations do on behalf of children and families in all parts of Virginia. We will continue our advocacy to preserve and promote these vital services. To be part of our advocacy efforts, visit www.vacatholic.org and click Join Us!

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In prayer and in public, your voices are urgently needed to bring Gospel values to bear on vital decisions being made by those who represent you.

~~~ The Virginia Catholic Conference is the public policy agency representing Virginia’s Catholic bishops and their two dioceses.

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