Mary intercedes to bring a baby to Little Rock couple

Throughout the roller coaster of adoption proceedings, Garres remain faithful

Published: July 8, 2014

By Madeline Roberts
Special to Arkansas Catholic

Madeline Roberts

Bill (left) and Dana Garre stand with their son Samuel in front of an icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe in their Little Rock home.

Madeline Roberts

Bill (left) and Dana Garre stand with their son Samuel in front of an icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe in their Little Rock home.

Bill and Dana Garre welcomed their baby into the world May 19. After waiting months to adopt, they finally had their prayers answered. Like other adoptive parents, the Garres had their highs and lows in the process, but one aspect sets them apart: the intercession of the Virgin Mary.

“I believe that this story is about Mary,” Dana said. “I completely believe that all the honor is hers in this whole process.”

Last spring, Dana learned from a friend about the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Wanting to further her relationship with Jesus, Dana researched the consecration, learning it required extensive preparation.

“It was very intense, but I trusted, and I prepared myself and said yes,” she said.

After 34 days of prayer, reading and meditation, Dana made her consecration on May 31, 2013. Afterward, she had a prayer request.

“I prayed that night fervently for Bill and I to be blessed with a child,” she said.

Continuing this request into the summer, Dana even asked God what she and Bill should name their child.

“As clear as day, I heard the word ‘Samuel,’ as if someone had spoken right into my ear,” she said.

Dana and Bill, members of the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock, at first did not understand the significance.

“We didn’t really know anyone named Samuel,” she said.

They learned that in Hebrew, “Samuel” meant “God has heard.” The Garres took this as a sign and continued to pray adamantly. Six months after Dana’s consecration, a potential adoption was realized.

“Suddenly all those prayers became very real,” Dana said.

The Garres met the birth parents, and Dana attended every doctor’s appointment with the birth mother. Soon, the Garres found out they would be adopting a baby girl. This was exciting news, but it did not follow what Dana had heard months earlier.

Bill explained, “We were happy as we could be, but we looked at each other (and said) ‘Well I guess (the name) Samuel is off the table.’”

Bill and Dana always knew there was a possibility the adoption could fall through.

“We had all seen the Lifetime movies,” Bill said. “We reassured (the birth mother) that whatever she decided, she had already made the right choice.”

By February, the adoption appeared to be falling apart. The Garres were getting mixed signals from the birth parents.

“There was a lot of prayer, a lot of tears, just an up and down emotional roller coaster,” Dana said.

A trip to Mexico in March was a welcome diversion from the ongoing turmoil. During an eight-hour layover in Mexico City, the couple were excited to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the most visited Marian shrine in the world.

“We had such joy in our hearts,” Dana said. “We were just like, ‘Thank you, Mary, for this sweet gift.’”

When the Garres returned, they learned that the birth parents decided to keep their child.

During the turmoil, Dana had constantly felt a calling to volunteer at Abba House, a shelter for pregnant women and their children in Little Rock run by the Missionaries of Charity. Dana signed up to volunteer with a friend on Saturday, April 5.

Only 10 minutes after entering Abba House, Sister Maria Christy Varkey, MC, approached Dana’s friend, asking her if she knew the phone number for Catholic Adoption Services in Little Rock. A woman in the shelter was eight months pregnant and wished to give her baby up for adoption. Dana’s friend immediately introduced Sister Maria Christy to Dana. After Dana explained she was looking to adopt, the nun simply replied, “Oh, good. It’s settled then.”

She walked away, leaving Dana in shock.

In the next few days, the Garres received their home study, found a lawyer and met the birth mother at Abba House. The birth mother waived five days of the state’s 10-day waiting period to finalize the adoption. The Garres would finally have a baby of their own. The couple was in for an even more eye-opening surprise.

Just as they had previously thought, they were supposed to have a son. Samuel Francis Garre was born May 19. The Garre family was able to take him home the next day.

While attending Mass at Abba House May 31, exactly one year after Dana made her consecration, Dana and Bill noticed a figure outside coming toward the chapel. It was Samuel’s birth mother. The Garre family took a photo with Samuel’s birth mother under the statue of Mary in the chapel. After holding Samuel one last time, the birth mother explained she did not know Samuel was there, but that she “just knew (she) was supposed to go inside.”