Jen Andrysczyk

4/24/15
Intro to Christian Values
Prof. Kohlhaas
Case Study

Virtue Ethics is a morals system aimed at the human person. It says that the
virtuous life is the moral and good life, namely that living virtuously leads us to true
joy, peace and fulfillment. It leads to human flourishing and the common good. Living
the moral life is not just following as set number of rules out of obedience, but rather
the best way to life a happy life. It has provided us with a way to make moral
decisions that will lead to our true joy and fulfillment, help us become the person we
want to be and contribute to the common good of all.
I am the Director and Chair of the Board of a Catholic adoption agency who
has to make the decision to either end adoption services, disaffiliate from the
Catholic Church, or become financially independent from the state. When preparing
to make this monumental decision for my adoption agency, I will start by accessing
myself. I am confident that I am well prepared to act virtuously. I was raised in a
solidly Catholic family that has instilled the virtues of the Catholic faith in me since
my childhood. I have also been persevering in my faith personally and striving to
make Jesus the center of my life for four years. I have confidence that I will, God

willing, continue to grow in virtue throughout my life even though I will never be fully
virtuous until Heaven, but looking at present circumstances, I believe that because of
Gods grace, I am in a pretty good place to make a moral decision. My conscious is
still developing, but it has been pretty well formed thus far in my life. I want to
become a saint, God willing, and strive to act in a way that contributes to this vision
in my everyday life and decision making. I strive to let Gods love motivate my every
action. I want to do what is truly best for the agency, while upholding my values.
Ultimately, I want to do Gods will and I hope this assessment will help me discern
what that may be.
A morally relevant feature of this decision may is the fact that stakeholders, or
people or groups that have investments or shares in this agency may not be happy
with me if I were to decide to make the agency become financially independent from
the state. However, hopefully their intent in becoming involved in the agency was not
to make money, but to truly help orphaned children find homes. If this was truly
their intent, then hopefully if I decided to have the agency become financially
independent, they would not be overly upset.
My intent is that I want to do what is best for the adoption agency while
upholding its status as a Catholic institution. In my life, I want to bring as many
people closer to Heaven and I believe that the Catholic Church contains the fullness
of the truth and will aid me in this process. Therefore adhering to the teachings of

the Church is essential. I also trust in Gods Divine Providence; that if I do Gods will,
He will provide.
Looking at this particular circumstance, I think it is important to consider the
secular point of view and the fact that from the research done there has not been
significant factors saying that a child who grows up in a household with two parents
of the same-sex turns out better or worse than a child that grows up in a household
of opposite gendered parents. However, as a Catholic, I believe that the Magisterium
has my best interests at heart. I trust the Vatican and know they have done the
research and have thoroughly explored this issue because it has been such a topic of
debate. It would be going against my conscience if I were to disaffiliate from the
Catholic Church and then go against the Vaticans letter of clarification in 2007 that
said that Catholic participation in same-sex adoption is always immoral and never to
be tolerated or participated in by Catholic agencies.
I would also do not think that ending adoption services is the correct solution.
What would the use of my Catholic adoption agency be then? What would our
purpose be? The agency would cease to serve the purpose for which it was
established. The children would be moved to a different agency where they may be
placed in unstable homes. That would be on my conscience. God has placed these
children in my care and I would be passing them off to someone else. Again, Christ is
the final victor and it is Gods will that we become financially independent from the

state, He will provide the resources and I am willing to be His instrument in that. I
am willing to fund raise and ask for help from others.
Looking at Scriptural resources, there are many references in the Bible to how
God intended marriage to be between one man and one women. Many different verses
condemn homosexual behavior and homosexuals acting out on their inclinations as a
sin, just like any other. One example of this is in Romans that says, Therefore, God
handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations
for unnatural, and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and
burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus
received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity (Rom. 1:27). The
Bible condemns homosexual behavior as sinful. Homosexuals themselves need to be
shown more love than the rest of us usually because of the discrimination that they
have been subjected to. However, giving them a child to raise would mean that I
assent and am OK with their behavior and lifestyle choice.
Traditionally, the Catholic Church has opposed same-sex unions of any kind,
even civil unions. Christian traditions in general have also opposed same-sex unions
until recently, when some Christian traditions started giving in to secular culture and
influences that said it was acceptable. The Magisterium has always been very clear
where they stand on this issue. They believe that homosexual behavior is a sin and
thus not to be engaged in, just like sex before marriage of two people of the opposite

gender. It leads those involved farther away from God. The Church is looking out for
our eternal well-being.
Again, looking at present experience, there is no concrete facts that say there is
much of an effect on the children of same-sex couples, so as an adoption agency who
is in charge of placing children in the best homes possible for them, this would
indeed be something that I need to consider. However, again it would be going against
my conscious to place children in same-sex partner homes because it is going against
my core beliefs as a Catholic and disobeying the Magisteriums clear teachings on
this issue.
I have a duty, as a Catholic, to my faith and tradition. I have a duty to follow my
conscience. I have a duty to do what is best for the adoption agency and to do what is
best for the children. I believe that what is best for the agency, considering the fact
that God will provide, is to become financially independent from the state. I need to
keep the right perspective. These childrens souls and placing them in homes where
their conscious can be developed is more important than receiving money from the
state. Also, the souls of my co-workers are important, and if I disaffiliated from the
Catholic Church, I would be encouraging them to not follow the teachings of the
Church and compromising their souls. I have a duty to them as well.
Looking from a big picture, Heaven-oriented perspective, I believe the act of
becoming financially independent from the state would also bring about the most

good. Adhering to the Catholic Churchs teachings would advance human flourishing
and the common good in that it would aid my own advance in virtue, as well as my
co-workers and the children I am able to place in homes with stable married couples
of the opposite sex. It would help me become the person I am striving to be and it
would be following my conscious. If I were to end adoption services or disaffiliate from
the Catholic Church and begin giving children to same-sex partners, I would be going
against my conscious and not following the teachings of the Church. Again, I also
would be putting the souls of my co-workers and the children on the line and not
trusting in Gods Providence or following what I think He wants me to do. Ending
adoption services, even though the agency may still receive state funding, would take
the original intent and purpose away from the agency. Disaffiliation from the Catholic
Church may be have monetary advantages because we would then still be receiving
help from the state, but the negatives in this area are greater than this positive.
Looking at all of the above information, I truly believe that becoming financially
independent from the state is the path I need to take as the director and chair of the
Board of this Catholic adoption agency. This step aids human flourishing and the
common good as well as helping me become the person I want to be. I truly believe
this is Gods will for the agency and He will provide the funds necessary to keep us
afloat. If I were to do any of the other options, I do not feel I would be living out my
Catholic faith authentically.