(Left to right) Dcn. Chris Gutiérrez, Fr. Christopher Kight, and Danny May smile while gathering for the Sept. 27 Mass and picnic for foster and adoptive families, which launched a new support initiative within the Diocese of Owensboro through the nationally-based Springs of Love ministry. The event was held at Christ the King Parish in Madisonville. RACHEL HALL | WKC

BY RACHEL HALL, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

Springs of Love, a national Catholic adoption and foster support ministry, recently expanded to be a new initiative in the Diocese of Owensboro led by Fr. Christopher Kight, parochial vicar at St. Joseph in Bowling Green. Fr. Kight is also the spiritual director for the organization, which is based out of Ohio.

Sponsored by the diocese’s Office of Marriage and Family Life, families from across the diocese gathered Saturday, Sept. 27, hosted at Christ the King Parish in Madisonville, where Kathleen Battle, both a parishioner and supporter of Springs of Love, helped plan the day.

It was a celebration honoring the beautiful and challenging work of fostering. The day began with Mass, where Fr. Kight, reflecting on the day’s Gospel, Luke 9:43-45, noted with a smile, “It was a shame the reading didn’t go a little further” because just a few lines down you would hear,  “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” From there, Fr. Kight spoke about the trials and beauty of fostering and sharing on his own story being adopted as a baby.

Following Mass, the Knights of Columbus provided a meal. Children enjoyed playing time while parents and others interested in fostering connected with one another and shared resources.

Jacquelyn Tretter, with the Kentucky Foster and Adoptive Parent and Training Support Network – known as “The Network,” shared the urgent needs facing children and families.

“There is a desperate need here in Kentucky, with the data saying there are over 8,000 children in the foster care program,” she shared. Tretter, herself a parishioner at St. Joseph and Paul in Owensboro and the mother of two adoptive children, was appreciative of the diocese’s support for Springs of Love.

Through The Network, currently funded by a grant from Western Kentucky University, families receive training on a whole host of subjects that deal with navigating the day-to-day of foster and adoption care.

A family carries up the gifts during the offertory at the Sept. 27 Mass and picnic for foster and adoptive families, which launched a new support initiative within the Diocese of Owensboro through the nationally-based Springs of Love ministry. RACHEL HALL | WKC

As Tretter spoke with The Western Kentucky Catholic, her son happily worked on filling out a bingo card, searching for “someone with a cat at home.” The lighthearted, innocent moment contrasted with the hardship and gravity of her work, that reflected the heart of the day. While it was a small crowd for their first event, it was described as both emotional and beautiful, with everyone there engaged in the purpose of the mission.

“Not everyone’s life story is easy, and that’s ok. They deserve to be heard,” said Kristi McCabe, who played a significant role in bringing Springs of Love to the diocese. Adopted herself and now the mother of four adopted children, McCabe knows firsthand the importance of community and encouragement: “My daughter could not wait for this day to start – to be with children like her.”

Fr. Kight later invited people to organize into groups based on region, and as people were moving around, he said, “My dream is to have multiples of these chapters throughout our diocese.” As the table filled around with people from the Owensboro area he declared, “See, here is our first chapter.”

Catholics are called to consider every human life valuable and reflect on how to build a culture that protects life from conception to natural death. Danny May, director of the family and marriage life office, commented on the initiative and its connection to the Catholic teachings of respecting life, “By choosing to foster or adopt, you are choosing to open your heart and home to a young person, you are answering God’s call in a profound way.”

Organizers acknowledged not everyone is in a season of life where fostering is possible but emphasized that families also need support.

“Even just letting the parents have a break from time to time,” McCabe suggested, such as offering to watch a child while parents run errands.

One foster parent from Bowling Green added that sometimes you have children brought to you in the middle of the night, with no clothing their size or a car seat. “It can be overwhelming,” the parent said. “To be able to get quick access these resources for the children would really mean a lot.”

Springs of Love is just beginning in our diocese but brings with it hope. That it will shine as an outward sign of Catholics support for families living out the pro-life mission, in a tangible way.

Holding a water bottle that had the Springs of Love logo in her hand, McCabe shared a reflection from one of her twin daughters while setting up for the day: “Look, Mom, it’s a heart holding two broken hearts together.”

For more information, connect with Jacquelyn Tretter, the western Kentucky contact for The Network at [email protected]. Also, find resources through the website at kyface.ky.gov. To learn more about the Catholic support for fostering and adopting initiative Springs of Love, visit springsoflove.org. Contact Fr. Kight at [email protected]. Contact Danny May at [email protected] or call (270) 683-1545.

A family attends the Sept. 27 Mass and picnic for foster and adoptive families, which launched a new support initiative within the Diocese of Owensboro through the nationally-based Springs of Love ministry. RACHEL HALL | WKC

Originally printed in the November 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.