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Is Adoption for Me?
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March 21, 2024“Our adoption story is a story of how God’s hands weaved into our life and directed us to a path where we should be. It is a conviction of what God wants us to do and a reminder that God continually writes the narrative of our life.” — Wilbur and Marla Sarino family.
GREEN BAY — Are you being called to adopt? The Sarino family felt called. So, beginning in 2019, they chose to work with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay. Their adoption process was completed in April 2022.
As Christians, we are all called to help care for God’s creation. One way to help is through adoption. According to adoption.org there are an estimated 153 million orphans around the world. Pope Francis has reminded us that many orphans “are alone, victims of war, victims of migration, unaccompanied children, victims of hunger. Children with half a medal."
Are you that other half?
To help with the orphan crisis, social service and humanitarian organizations, like Catholic Charites, around the world are working tirelessly to provide nurturing environments for these children to thrive. One aspect of these efforts is intercountry adoption. Intercountry adoption is when the adoptive parents are citizens of a different country than the child they adopt. It is a legal process governed by international policy based on the Hague Convention to protect the rights of all parties involved in the adoption process including biological parents, adoptive parents, and the children to be adopted.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay is one of three Hague accredited adoption agencies in Wisconsin handling intercountry adoption. Catholic Charities primarily works with prospective adoptive parents preparing them for adoption, providing guidance and support throughout the process, and offering services after the adoption. The agency then coordinates with a second Hague Accredited adoption agency who provides direct services in the child’s country to ensure that all legal requirements in the child’s country for adoption are met.
“Having lived in the U.S. for over 30 years, we still felt the need to adopt from the Philippines after hearing the echoes of the voices of children living in the streets of Manila Day in and day out every time we were there,” said Marla Sarino. She and her husband, Wilbur, were both born and raised in the Philippines. “We had two biological children, one of whom had special needs, when we started our adoption journey. It took us over three years to finally bring home our adopted daughter who was then 8 years old after having been denied at first to adopt in the Philippines. Seven years later, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we went back to adopting an 11-year-old girl. Adoptive parenting, just like parenting biological children, has its challenges and triumphs, its risks, and rewards.”
The orphan crisis around the world can be overwhelming when thinking about how one person can make an impact. Intercounty adoption is about changing the world for one child at a time. In an August 25, 2021, video released by the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, Pope Francis emphasized that all children deserve loving families.
“Every child that arrives is God’s gift. Every baby, in every case, and in whatever situation is to be welcomed” the Pope said.
With a culture of adoption, the Christian community can change the world and make a huge impact in the lives of the next generation.
As another family Catholic Charities worked with locally said, “We have wanted to adopt since we got married over 10 years ago. It was something we always talked about doing. We felt called to intercountry adoption because every child deserves a home, a safe place and a family to love them. We met so many wonderful people who guided us and we never looked back. It was truly the best decision we ever made, and we are so grateful”, said Lizzy Dennis.
Are you feeling called to adopt? Want to learn more about intercountry adoption? Contact our adoption team today at 920-272-8234 or attend an upcoming adoption informational session held monthly though Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay.
Tara DeGrave is the Associate Director at Catholic Charities, Green Bay, and Chelsea Baucom-Young is the Adoption and Pregnancy Support Program Manager.
