Secrets Revealed, Prayers Answered, Winners Notified

by | Sep 17, 2014 | Babies | 23 comments

I’ve got good news, and I’ve got good news.

First, the good news.

Remember a few months back, when I hosted an amazing giveaway for a Monastic Immersion Weekend? I had an anonymous sponsor, and asked that you would all pray for her intention, which was very dear to me, too?

Well, good job guys. Pats on backs all around.

The anonymous sponsors were my brother- and sister-in-law. I mentioned their desire to have children in my Dear Newlywed post. The secret intention of the giveaway was that they would be blessed with a baby. The retreat was last weekend. Just a couple of days before the winner headed off to silent immersion, Pat and Brie brought this little guy home with them to Virginia.

Meet my nephew, Luke Anthony . . .

My sister-in-law, Brie, wanted to thank you all herself!
Thank you everyone for all of your prayers and well wishes during our adoption journey. Pat and I can’t begin to tell you how much we appreciate them! We are still blown away by how effective they were and are thrilled to be able to introduce our son, Luke Anthony! Luke is a dream come true for us and came into our lives so quickly that we truly feel like he is a testament to the power of prayer. We struggled for over four years to start our family and within 3 weeks of activating with our adoption agency and asking for your prayers, we received a call that a woman had chosen us to adopt her unborn child. Our agency estimates that couples will be chosen by a birthmother within 6 to 9 months of becoming active. Adoption can be such a long and painful experience for couples, filled with false starts and endless waiting. We know how lucky we are to have Luke and give all credit to prayer and the intersession of St. Anthony and countless other saints who had a hand in giving us the greatest blessing of our lives! Given the quick turnaround, I’m also thankful that my sister-in-law started this blog so I have a handy dandy resource for raising this little man. I can’t wait to parent with authority! 🙂
We are so very grateful and will keep all of you in our prayers! Luke has already gotten started on this too…
We couldn’t be more excited about our new cousin around here. We like cousins. As Bobby pointed out, “Baby Luke already has more cousins than I do.”

Anyway, thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers. You are the best readers a gal could have.

Update: people have asked if Baby Luke has a registry, indeed he does. (But no pressure.)

And for the rest of the good news, there’s also the giveaway of Catholic Churches, Big and Small by Stefan Salinas.

The lucky winner is .  .  .

Elise of the blog BlissfulE!

She gets a copy of the book, plus a beautiful giclee print by Stefan.

If you didn’t win, you’ll just have to order the book for yourself
. I highly recommend it!

23 Comments

  1. Amy @ Motherhood and Miscellany

    That is such wonderful news! Thank you for sharing (especially the pictures of that sweet baby). Congratulations and many blessings to your brother and sister-in-law.

  2. Tori

    That's great news! Congratulations to your brother- and sister-in-law and to your family. Cousins are the best.

  3. Amanda

    That's so wonderful! I love to see answered prayers, especially if I prayed 🙂 Another Tierney is definitely what the world needs.

  4. Kate

    Many many congratulations to them!!! Luke is one of my absolute favorite names!

  5. Elizabeth

    Tears over here too! What a blessing! I'm so happy for the whole family.

  6. Nanacamille

    He is a beautiful little boy and so happy for them. Now they have to put their name on the list for a sister for him. No brother is content without a sister to torment. I'll wait and see if there is a baby shower or a visit from cousins. I did send him a silver baby cup like all of my grandkids have.

  7. Laura F

    I also got all choked up! How wonderful for them. Children are such a blessing, and I'm so excited for your brother- and sister-in-law!!!

  8. Elisa | blissfulE

    Fantastic!! That is such amazing news! And so quick!! Luke is extremely cute, I can already tell what a blessing he is! (And I'm super-excited about my book and print, too! Thank you!)

  9. Miss Jill and Mister John

    Love and tears! I feel privileged to be an adoptive mama and know just how special these bonds are! Adoption is filled with loss and lots of love and redemption.

  10. Abby S.

    What a beautiful boy! We're so happy for Pat and Brie.

  11. walking dot photography

    That is AMAZING! Such a blessing!!! What adoption agency did they go through? I would love to pass the information on to another couple who is struggling with infertility and beginning to pray about adoption.
    xox,
    giedre

    • Brienne

      Hi Giedre,

      We used American Adoptions based out of Overland Park, Kansas. They are a nation-wide agency that handles domestic adoptions only. We would be happy to answer any questions that the other couple you know may have.

      Take care,
      Brie

  12. Anonymous

    This is so beautiful! I am so happy for your brother and SIL. My husband and I are pursuing a domestic infant adoption and are matched with a baby girl due Dec 15. We are so excited! It's always so nice to see other families blessed by adoption 🙂

  13. Anonymous

    This is so beautiful! I am so happy for your brother and SIL. My husband and I are pursuing a domestic infant adoption and are matched with a baby girl due Dec 15. We are so excited! It's always so nice to see other families blessed by adoption 🙂

Submit a Comment

Hi! I’m Kendra.

For twenty years now, I’ve been using food, prayer, and conversation based around the liturgical calendar to share the lives of the saints and the beautiful truths and traditions of our Catholic faith. My own ten children, our friends and neighbors, and people just like you have been on this journey with me.

If you’d like to learn more about what Catholics believe and why, and to be inspired by saints from every era all over the world, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the prospect of how to teach your kids about the faith in a way that’s true, engaging, and lasts a lifetime, we can help!

Contact me at helpdesk@catholicallyear.com

This blog contains affiliate links and sponsored posts, for which I receive a commission. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.