Foster parent Matthew Schlegel paused with a heavy sigh of emotion as he and his wife Lexie recounted their journey with Catholic Charities’ Foster Care and Adoption program.
When he spoke words of utter gratitude to program director Gwen Pfeifer and her team at Catholic Charities’ “Hands of Christ Creating Hope” dinner, many in the crowd shared in Matthew’s tears.
“You are disciplined, you are accountable, you have self-control, you are responsive, you are attentive. You have gotten in the trenches with us,” he said to the staff. “You are clearly servants and soldiers. Without you, we might not have our children. I will always be grateful for what you have done for my family…. You have made a world of difference to us and our children.”
Those children are Beau and Sunny, who came into the Schlegel’s home in July 2024 as neglected, developmentally delayed, autistic, nonverbal, twin toddlers. It was the twins’ fifth foster care home. And it would be their last and permanent one.
The Schlegels connected with Catholic Charities Foster Care and Adoption program in March of 2024 after the utterly heartbreaking experiences of losing five babies of their own to miscarriage and early infant death.
“We were scared, but we had a lot of God whispers,” Lexie said of being asked to welcome Beau and Sunny into their home just a day after the Schlegels’ foster care applications were approved.
“In Psalm 119, verse 105, it says, ‘Thy word is like a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.’ It doesn’t mean seeing the whole vast space like the lights are turned on, but rather just enough to take a couple steps ahead,” Lexie said of their trust in God’s plan. “That’s what we did when we said yes, and to be honest it’s what we continue to do even now,” Lexie said.
In a tandem presentation filled with honesty, humor and an obvious love for Beau and Sunny from the get-go, Matthew and Lexie spoke of their unwavering faith and the unending support of Catholic Charities through even the most trying times.
God had a plan for the Schlegels and for Beau and Sunny – and that was to become a permanent family. Matthew and Lexie officially adopted the children on Monday of Holy Week of this year; they were baptized on Easter Sunday.
And the children are thriving. Beau is counting to 100, Sunny is speaking in sentences and making friends at school.
“It is incredible to be part of their story,” said Lexie. “Catholic Charities has supported us in every step of the way. They are in the business of making families. This is a ministry. This is kingdom-building.”
Foster Care and Adoption is one of numerous programs of Catholic Charities, which serves men, women, children and families in programs that include shelters, maternity and recovery homes, counseling, day treatment, and mental health care. The annual Hands of Christ Creating Hope dinner helps raise critical funds and awareness for the organization’s outreach into the diocese’s 15 counties.
“This is where we make Matthew 25 real in a very practical and tangible way,” Bishop Timothy Senior said during opening remarks at the dinner, which has raised more than $725,000 in its 20-year history.
The evening’s guest speaker was Dr. Anne DeSantis, a Catholic author and speaker and executive director of the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation in Philadelphia. The foundation offers pastoral care, counseling and retreats for individuals and families in crisis.
“There are people in the world we all know – sometimes people who are very close to us – who are going through challenging times. It could be a relationship crisis, a divorce or separation, a trauma, job loss or loss of a loved one. We all need to be part of a mission of mercy,” Dr. DeSantis said.
“Being part of the mission of Catholic Charities, you are a missionary of mercy in helping people in the organization’s 12 programs throughout the diocese’s 15 counties,” she told the crowd.
Relaying the story of her parents’ contentious divorce when she was a child and the fright of a heart disease diagnosis as a young mother, Dr. DeSantis remarked, “The things that happen to us in our lives help us to look inside ourselves when we minister to other people. What I experienced as a child has helped me and taught me in this mission of working with families in crisis.”
“When you support people through your prayers and your care, you’re helping people who are experiencing the worst time of their life…. Even your presence to them is evangelization,” she said.
Catholic Charities serves men, women and children in a variety of programs at little to no cost to clients. For information on their programs and how you can support or get involved in upcoming events, visit www.cchbg.org or contact Tara Benkovic, Development Director, at tbenkovic@cchbg.org or 771-657-4804, ext. 272.
(Photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
