It’s our birthday – and yours!

On September 9 Springs in the Desert celebrates six years since our founding, and while every year doing this work is a milestone for us, it’s also a celebration of YOU – this community we’ve had the privilege to walk with and support, and all those who have and continue to support our work of accompaniment, awareness, and support for marriages. We’re so proud of what God has accomplished through this ministry, and grateful that He continues to open doors and invite us to accept more opportunities to walk with those in seasons of infertility and/or loss, and to help clergy, physicians, counselors, and family/friends to support and uplift those whom they encounter on this path. 

 

How it started

If you’ve been around here for a while you know the story – but it’s always fun to re-tell. Ann and Kimberly were grad school acquaintances who reconnected years after graduation. In a moment of honesty and vulnerability, Kimberly shared that she and her husband were struggling to conceive. Overwhelmed by a feeling of instant connection and safety, Ann shared the struggle she and her husband were having, and a new and deeper friendship was born.

Conversations over the course of a few years lead to co-authorship of an article highlighting the need for pastoral support for couples dealing with infertility and loss, and the unlikely start to a ministry that reaches around the country – and the world. Little did they know that a chance meeting at a conference would lead to conversations, an article, a website, and the birth of a ministry that was unique in its approach to infertility, and the kind of accompaniment that would positively impact so many. A conversation over dinner led to more conversations, deeper reflection, and the birth of Springs in the Desert, incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit ministry on September 9, 2019. 

 

How it’s going

What began as a website (with sparse content) soon began to blossom into a wellspring of stories, resources, and support. It didn’t take long before what Ann and Kimberly shared in those early blog posts began resonating with others, and soon a Team was formed. When the pandemic hit, and the world came to standstill, Ann and Kimberly jumped on the trend of online conferences and retreats, holding their first Springs of Hope Virtual Mother’s Day Retreat. Over 200 individuals and couples signed up to watch the pre-recorded content, making it clear that not only support, but a sense of community, was desperately needed. With a Team in place, more volunteers and Contributors coming on board, and a big boost from becoming finalists in the OSV Challenge for Catholic Innovation, the desert soon became a spring of accompaniment, friendship, community, and hope. 

 

Where we are

Blog and Blogcast: Springs in the Desert went from a hunch that two friends who longed for pastoral support and resources might be appealing to others, to a far-reaching ministry and community of support. That little once-in-a-blue-moon blog has become a place where personal stories and experiences from this community are shared weekly. Starting with Allie, and continuing with our Blog and Content Editor, Katie, we’ve built up a team of Contributors who share their experiences with honesty through writing that is beautiful, heartfelt, and eloquent. Our Professional Contributors share their expertise in the fields of counseling/psychology, and medicine, with an approach to writing that accounts for the complex physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges that infertility and loss present to individuals and couples. These Contributors don’t offer medical or psychological diagnoses or advice – but they share the fruit of their expertise by addressing everyone in this community as a person facing a particular circumstance (infertility/loss), not as a problem to solve.

In 2025 we launched The Springs in the Desert Blogcast, which offers audio versions of both new posts and old favorites from our archives. It’s a whole new way to be accompanied by listening to our community stories while running errands, driving, working out, or anytime!

Writing for the blog is a great first step for getting involved with the ministry. We’d love to hear from you! Just review the Author Guidelines here, and email katie@springsinthedesert.org to get started.

Podcast: The Springs in the Desert Podcast began with very (and we do mean very) occasional show that has blossomed into a weekly podcast available anywhere you like to listen. A listener once described the pod as “that friend I can take with me” on the path of infertility, and that’s the highest compliment we can imagine. Jillian, our Assistant Director and host, brings on a variety of guests to share their stories of faith, hope, and healing, sharing their experiences with openness and care. Check out the pod on your favorite platform, like and subscribe, and leave us a review so that more people can find a friend at Springs.

Retreats and Small Groups: Some of the most meaningful ways we accompany those on the path of infertility and loss happen when the online community gathers together in real life. Retreats give our Team the opportunity to spend quality time with couples and individuals, unpacking the experience of infertility among others on a similar path, where they can feel heard, understood, and encouraged. Retreat Team “regulars” Cassi and Ian, Fr. Paul and Alissa, Stacey, and Cassandra offer personal reflections, facilitate small group discussion, and make themselves available for prayer and one-on-one conversation. Prayer, Confession, Mass, and time for creating friendships and having fun are all part of the retreat experience. We’d love you to join us at one of our upcoming retreats!

Our Springs small groups are like mini-retreats right in your own parish community. Our small group Companions address various aspects of infertility and loss, from the spiritual and emotional impact, to the opportunities for fruitfulness in our lives and marriage right now. Our Arise companion utilizes Scripture to guide conversation around grief and isolation, identity, difficulty praying, and finding fruitfulness in marriage, guided by facilitators formed in Springs’unique approach. More Companions are on the way to help form small groups for women and couples. Interested in starting and leading a small group – or finding out how your parish/diocese can get started? Contact our Small Groups Coordinator, Cadie. She’s part of our very first group in Steubenville, OH, and we’re blessed to have her help other groups to begin and flourish!

Spiritual Accompaniment: The crosses of infertility and loss are heavy, and the many complex emotions (grief, anger, sadness, jealousy, and more) can be even harder to manage when we feel isolated and alone, especially among family, friends, and in the parish. When it’s hard to pray, if we feel distant from God, or lack the strength to keep moving forward, we need God’s grace – and each other.

Our ministry is incredibly fortunate that Fr. Paul has a heart for this work and has become Springs’ Spiritual Father. As a married Byzantine Catholic priest, Fr. Paul knows personally the impact of primary and secondary infertility, as well as miscarriage, along with his wife Alissa. Fr. Paul is available for spiritual direction by phone or Zoom, or just to talk.You can reach out to Fr. Paul for pastoral care, compassion, and understanding.

We are a community of prayer, lifting each other up especially in those times when our crosses are extra heavy, or we lack the words to call out to God ourselves. The Weekly Well prayer email hits inboxes every Thursday so that we can pray for each other. Send us a prayer request and we’ll add it to the email so you’ll know you’re not alone. Subscribe to The Weekly Well, and our monthly Newsletter, today!

Team support just for you: Everyone on our Springs Team knows the experiences of infertility and loss from the inside out, which is why we work so hard on our web and social media content, and to create resources that will help those on the path of infertility and loss, and anyone who encounters them and wants to offer their support. This includes:

Our public Facebook page and private group, You Tube channel, and Instagram boast encouraging and informative content, beautifully designed by Cassandra, our Communications Manager.

In addition to our in-person offerings, we stay connected and build community online with our weekly Women at the Well Virtual Prayer Group, which meets in the fall and spring as a place for women to pray and share together. Our popular Lenten Desert Pilgrimage series invites individuals and couples to join for a weekly reflection, small group sharing, and prayer. And during Advent, everyone is invited to pray the Psalms daily, offering our intentions for each other as we await Christ’s Nativity. For more information on our virtual events and social media, drop us an email!

Check out the Resources tab on our homepage for personal use and to share with diocesan staff, clergy, healthcare and counseling professionals, NFP instructors, as well as family and friends.

 

Where we’re going

Back in 2019 Ann and Kimberly could never have imagined where God would lead them, and the ministry. Since then, God keeps opening doors and calling us to new and exciting projects and opportunities, and we will continue to do this work – His work – because the pastoral need is great, and the witness of every couple who walks this path is a great sign to the Church, and the world.

Want to get involved? Check out all the great opportunities to volunteer, contribute, and help us minister.

Share the ministry! Because it is our honor to walk alongside those on the path of infertility and loss.

 

-The Springs in the Desert Team