Nearly 21 years ago, as Mary held her infant son, Bryce, for the first time, she looked into his eyes and felt the peace of God telling her she had made the right decision. She then embraced Bryce’s birth mother as they both wept. Mary knew her son’s birth mother had made the ultimate sacrifice by placing him for adoption. In doing this, she was giving Mary the gift of motherhood.
Motherhood is something Mary always felt called to. However, upon receiving the news that she could not bear a child naturally, she felt an even deeper vocation to adopt. A vocation, Mary says, that was born from faith.
Mary first heard about Catholic Charities’ Adoption Program from mutual connections at her home parish of St. Nicholas in Hays. She felt an inclination to learn more and soon after decided to proceed with the adoption process. Months would pass until Mary received the phone call that changed her life.
“I will never forget the day that I got the call saying that there was a birth mom who saw our profile and wanted to talk with us,” Mary said. Soon after their conversation, the birth mother selected Mary to be her child’s adoptive parent.
Brimming with joy, Mary recalls the transformative moment of meeting her son. “I remember when I got to hold Bryce for the first time and that overwhelming emotion. I did not know what it was going to be like. Was it going to feel natural? But when I looked into his eyes, he looked at me and then closed his eyes. He had the most peaceful look on his face, almost saying, I am going to be ok.”
Mary expressed that adoption has deepened her ability to recognize the true sanctity of life. “One of the biggest blessings adoption has given me is truly realizing that life is a gift and that kids are a gift and shouldn’t be taken for granted,” Mary said. “I never had the chance to go to the March for Life, and Bryce has gotten to go twice. It has impacted him in an extremely powerful way. When you are adopted and attend something like that, you see it differently. He could have been a statistic, but he was going as a living, breathing teenager.”
While Mary does not share a biological relation to Bryce, she says their love was formed from something much deeper.
“Adoption is so handwoven by God. There’s a child in one mother’s womb. She realizes she can’t give this child the life that she wants. She then loves him enough to let him go,” Mary said. “That child is then born from the heart of his adopted mother.”
Now 20 years old, Bryce is currently a junior at Kansas State University working towards his bachelor’s degree in architecture. Mary is incredibly proud of the man Bryce has grown into. She says that if not for the gift of adoption, her son’s life could have looked dramatically different.
“When I look at what Bryce has brought to my life, if it was not for Catholic Charities and God orchestrating that connection, Bryce would not be Bryce,” Mary said. “He would be another kid, in another town, with different friends. He would be completely different from who he is today. What a blessing that I got Bryce. I got to be his mom. Even though he did not physically come from my body, I got to be the one that was blessed to wipe his tears and experience all of his life.”
Mary advises all those discerning adoption to hold true to their faith and stay constant in the truth that God’s plan is greater.
“What I would say to those contemplating adoption is to trust God, pray for Mary’s help, and to not be afraid to reach out to Catholic Charities to find out about the process of adoption,” Mary said. “Be willing to open your heart because it is without a doubt the most abundant blessing that God will give you. There are so many kids that need an adoptive parent, and you have so much love in your heart to share.”
If you or someone you know is curious about Catholic Charities’ Adoption Program, please visit ccnks.org/adoption.