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Breaux Bridge, LA, October 7, 2024— Although statistics reveal thousands of families have experienced the loss of a child, pregnancy and infant loss is largely an untouched subject by mainstream media and even within the Catholic Church. Thousands of parishes and families have sought the expertise of Red Bird Ministries, a non-profit organization that specializes in compassionate support infused with the Catholic faith for those who have experienced child loss of any age and circumstance. During Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, as well as Respect Life Month, Red Bird Ministries invites people to consider how their response to loss shapes their outlook on the dignity and value of human life.
The founders of Red Bird Ministries, Ryan, and Kelly Breaux, say that although it’s something that is not typically talked about, pregnancy and infant loss is all too common:
1 in 4 pregnancies ends in miscarriage before 20 weeks
1 in 160 pregnancies ends in stillbirth
1 in 250 babies die before 1 month old
1 in 333 babies is diagnosed in utero with a life-limiting diagnosis, and parents are told they should consider aborting their baby instead of carrying to term
And yet, Ryan and Kelly say most people are uncomfortable talking about it, even in pro-life circles. After the loss of their son Talon at 15 days old and his twin sister Emma Grace three years later, the Breaux family began their path of grief and healing, a process which they say would have been impossible without the grace of the sacraments. They endured loss two more times when they miscarried their son Christian Ryan at 12 weeks and daughter Eva Catherine at six weeks.
“After the death of each child, I met a world that was silent about my loss. There were days when my pain felt like a bad dream. I couldn’t talk about my children because those around me were uncomfortable,” Kelly said.
Ryan and Kelly say that acknowledging the loss and approaching those who are grieving is a key ingredient to a pro-life worldview. “When the world does not acknowledge your loss, you feel like you have no right to share about your child.”
After navigating these losses, the couple was drawn to ministering to those who have suffered the same pain, officially founding Red Bird Ministries in 2018 as a pro-life, pro-family, Catholic approach to grief.
“We have to be careful about how we deal with grieving families. We cannot advocate for someone not to end their child’s life through abortion and then fail to acknowledge the loss of a child through miscarriage. It is important to acknowledge the unrepeatable beauty of each and every human life, no matter how long they have existed on earth,” Kelly said.
Red Bird Ministries offers many resources for parishes and grieving families, including:
Red Bird Ministries app, designed to bring grieving families together to support each other in community
Pastoral services such as a comfort call, spiritual direction, or access to a Catholic therapist
Healing boxes designed to support families you know who have experienced a loss
Support for grieving siblings
Local chapters to foster support and healing
Spiritual support such as the Red Bird Ministries Annual Mass of Remembrance and Memorial Wall
On Infant Loss and Remembrance Day, October 15, Red Bird Ministries will sponsor a Wave of Light Virtual Remembrance Mass. Participants are encouraged to light a candle at their local time of 7:00 p.m. in honor of their loved one and keep it lit for one hour, sending a wave of light throughout the world. Additional suggestions for getting involved during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month can be found at https://www.redbird.love/ october-awareness.
