These are five of the babies recently born while their moms were staying at St. Gianna Crisis Pregnancy Home. Please keep all the mothers and babies in your prayers.
St. Gianna’s welcomes eight babies, moves forward as independent organization
BY SYLANN SMITH, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
On Aug. 1, 2024, St. Gianna CPH (Crisis Pregnancy Home) opened its doors on a tranquil property on the campus of Holy Spirit Parish in Bowling Green, Kentucky to expectant women in difficult situations.
Originally launched under the umbrella of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro, the home was supported through its first year with funding for staffing, utilities, and insurance. By God’s grace, through the efforts of Tamara Vogler, the board of directors, and generous donors, on Aug. 1, 2025, the home began operating as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This date marked a significant milestone in the program’s growth and mission. As it transitions into full independence, St. Gianna CPH will now rely solely on the generosity of donors, volunteers, and private grants to continue its mission.
The house can accommodate up to six women and their babies. The first mom-to-be arrived at St. Gianna CPH on Sept. 3, 2024, and several more have followed. Participants can stay through pregnancy and up to eight months post-delivery while caring for their baby. In addition, the ministry has also helped connect over 57 women with vital community resources.
Altogether, the ministry has been blessed to have eight moms deliver eight precious babies while staying at the home. Five moms have graduated to independent living, one of whom will be moving out by the first of February. One was reconciled with her family after spending several months at the home. Her family saw her working hard at a difficult job, remaining sober, and succeeding in following the ministry’s program. They welcomed her back home and shortly thereafter, she gave birth to a baby boy.
When the most recent graduates leave, there will be space to serve four more moms-to-be, as two sets of moms and babies remain.
St. Gianna CPH has hired a former participant, Ashley Steiner, as the new evening house monitor. She joins Amanda Ashley, the daytime house manager, as the ministry’s only two paid employees. Each of these amazing women has experienced a crisis pregnancy themselves, providing them with an empathetic perspective and ability to give practical guidance to home participants for the challenges they face daily.
Amanda Ashley stated: “Being pregnant is stressful. To be pregnant and homeless, sleeping in a car, or staying with friends or family who are struggling themselves, raises the level of stress so high that the health of mother and baby are compromised.”
Ashley Steiner reiterated: “Though our moms don’t have to sleep in a cold car or worry about where their next meal is coming from, life is still difficult as they struggle to find work, finance a car, gas and insurance, and encounter lengthy delays for very expensive housing on their own.”
Donations of time, talent, and treasure provided by donors, volunteers, and South Central Kentucky community partners go a long way in assisting these women in overcoming obstacles. Consider investing in the lives of the women and babies served by St. Gianna Crisis Pregnancy Home and the communities they will be impacting by making a donation today.
Please keep all past, present, and future moms and babies and all those associated with St. Gianna CPH in your daily prayers.
For more details or ways to support homeless pregnant women in crisis with the basic needs of life, visit www.stgiannacph.org, follow on Facebook or Instagram @stgiannacph, or contact house directors Kathy Byrne or Missy Monroe at (270) 702-4984 or [email protected].
Originally printed in the February 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
