5 Supportive resources for grieving parents

When parents lose a child, they grieve forever. The loss can leave parents feeling that nobody else understands their pain. 

One thing that can help is connecting with other grieving parents. Being in a situation where everyone around you understands what you’re going through can bring relief and needed support.

These 5 ministries exist specifically for Catholic parents who've lost a child. Some are exclusively for those who've lost children through miscarriage, stillbirth or in infancy; others are for those who've lost a child of any age. Our hope is that connecting with these ministries will bring meaningful consolation and peace.

Red Bird Ministries (RBM) is a non-profit, pro-life, and pro-family Catholic grief support ministry serving individuals and couples who have experienced the loss of a child from pregnancy through adulthood. 

“We help ordinary families who have been given an extraordinary cross to carry,” says their website (and you can read more about RBM in an interview with Aleteia).

All Embrace is for families who have lost a baby from miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death within the first few months after birth. 

The Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents serves the spiritual needs of parents whose children of any age have died by any cause. 

This ministry offers spiritual, emotional and practical support to families who suffer miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss.

Morning Light Ministry is a Catholic ministry for bereaved mothers and bereaved fathers who have experienced the death of their baby through ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death up to one year old.

Finally, parents who have lost a child before birth should know that the Knights of Columbus have built nearly 2,000 memorials and monuments to the unborn throughout the United States. Many of these are in cemeteries, and can serve as a burial place for these little children.