This ‘reportage’ is released on July 26, 2026, in both print and online formats, alongside the Doctor Mary Healy instalment of Hearing the Intellectuals of the global church.

« It was in 2020, when all my events and travels were canceled due to Covid, that I began to think about the possibility of fostering a child. I read in the news that with the increase in unemployment and other social disruptions, at-risk families were facing even greater pressures than usual, and children were suffering. Through much prayer and discernment, I decided to apply for a fostering license. It took a long time to go through the process, but finally Kyle, who was ten years old, was placed with me. After four years of fostering him, I was thrilled to be able to adopt him. It is a joy to watch him grow up as a young man who loves the Lord. »

This is how Dr. Mary Healy answered when asked what had led her to adopt Kyle, toward the end of our interview session connecting Detroit and Seoul on 14 July. What most clearly revealed who she really is was her story with Kyle, more than any of her other accomplishments as one of the leading female biblical scholars in the Church in the United States or her service in the Roman Curia.

We all know that it's easy to express concern for children in distress and call upon the Church and society to act. Becoming a parent for the sake of one child, however, is ‘love’ of a different order. It means bringing love into a child’s once-parched universe, thawing their frozen heart with the warmest maternal love that can even transcend far beyond blood ties, and willingly becoming both a parent and a place of refuge — like Mary, who did not turn Jesus away.

Kyle had no background in the faith, but, as Dr Healy put it, he « soaked it all up like a sponge. » Last year, he not only became her son but was also « adopted into the family of God through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and First Holy Communion. » He is now flourishing in the vibrant community of his parish, Catholic school and youth group.

Dr Healy’s teaching did not ring hollow because she has never spoken about God from a place detached from life. In the end, what gives an intellectual’s words their persuasive power is not simply how much that person knows, but how deeply that knowledge has been translated into love.

by Bak Juhyeon ogoya@catimes.kr

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ogoya@catimes.kr

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