Every day across the Archdiocese, I witness something sacred: the quiet, often unnoticed ways that hope is born — not through grand gestures but through simple acts of kindness.

That’s what our team at Catholic Charities does. Whether they are case managers or counselors, office administrators, facilities workers or fundraisers.

They show up.

Our teams step into hard places — places of heartbreak, loss and confusion — and we walk alongside the people we serve. Not ahead of them. Not behind them. With them.

This is especially true in our Treatment Foster Care program, where children who’ve experienced deep trauma and who need the highest level of care find not just shelter, but the healing possibility of hope. These children often have stories marked by abandonment, abuse and instability. And yet — when a foster parent opens their door, when a social worker kneels down to meet a child’s eyes, when a therapist holds space for pain — hope can begin again.

I spoke with a foster mother once who articulated this sentiment perfectly. She said, “I can’t fix everything. But I can be there when the school calls. I can sit with her when she’s scared. I can make sure she’s not alone again.”

Isn’t that what Jesus does for all of us? He doesn’t promise an easy road. But He promises to walk it with us. And He sends us — His Church, His Body — to do the same for others.

At Catholic Charities, we know that respecting life doesn’t end at birth; it continues every moment a child needs someone to show up. Foster parents stand in that gap, giving children the chance to heal, grow and thrive while protecting their God-given dignity.

Our overarching goal for children who need foster care is to find them safe, caring homes. And the needs are high. In the U.S., more than 300,000 children are in out-of-home foster care, and many of them have experienced trauma, neglect or parental substance abuse. Here in Missouri, which ranks 5th in the nation for foster-care need per capita, there were nearly 13,000 children in care as recently as 2023.

Do you know someone who can help us in our Treatment Foster Care program? We are making a concerted effort to increase our number of willing, available and well-trained families to provide care for children who are among the most vulnerable in our region.

If someone comes to mind, please talk to them and encourage them to reach out to us. Encourage them to search their hearts and ask God if He might be calling them for this tremendous act of love and service.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in becoming a foster care provider or a treatment foster care provider, please reach out to Mara Jones at mjones@gsstl.org. Also, please follow Good Shepherd and Marygrove on Facebook and Instagram to read upcoming real stories of hope in our ministries. Your sharing and engagement with the content will help us spread the word and spread hope.

Thank you.