Photo courtesy of Anna Gowasack 

ATLANTA—When a parent loses a child, the world becomes unrecognizable. Daily routines become unmanageable, and even faith can feel distant. 

For many grieving families, that is where Red Bird Ministries begins its work. 

Red Bird accompanies families who have suffered a child’s death through miscarriage, stillbirth, or during infancy, childhood and adulthood. The group also walks with families grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide. 

The ministry combines Catholic teaching, clinical understanding and peer companionship to help families navigate the long and unpredictable road of grief.  

Anna Gowasack, the nonprofit’s director of leader formation and psychological services, has been connecting the Archdiocese of Atlanta with Red Bird for nearly a year. After Gowasack and her husband lost their child Oliver Francis, the ministry helped her find a place where she finally felt understood.  

“Grief shakes your perspective on everything,” she said. “It changes how you walk in the world. With Red Bird, you are in a place where you feel the freedom to be honest and know that people aren’t going to look at you differently.”  

The ministry is built on layers of care that guide parents through every step of healing. Its programs, virtual and in-person sessions and digital communication tools, offer a structured approach that helps individuals and couples understand how loss affects them emotionally, physically and spiritually. 

“Red Bird Ministries is a huge gift to the Archdiocese of Atlanta,” said Joey Martineck, the director of the Respect Life ministry. “So many families are experiencing this hardship, and Red Bird offers them practical guidance, hope and a path forward.”  

Resources for families  

Red Bird offers online sessions that draw on both clinical insight and Catholic theology, creating space for parents to share emotions freely. These virtual sessions, available through the ministry’s website under the “Virtual Offerings” tab, include sessions for fathers only, mothers only and even siblings. 

Anna Gowasack, director of leader formation for Red Bird Ministries, embraces her husband Michael Meixner. The couple, who have been married since 2021, lost their baby Oliver Francis in the first trimester of pregnancy. Photo courtesy of Anna Gowasack

Another key resource is the Red Bird Ministries Community App, which allows parents to connect with one another at any time of day. Through the app, families can join virtual support groups, access guided formation videos, receive daily reflections and message others who understand their pain. 

Parents often turn to the digital community in moments when grief feels sharpest. Gowasack called the app “the cornerstone” of the ministry because of its accessibility.  

“The app is such a great way to be tapped into a safe place to engage with your grief,” she said. “Anyone can get on and share their feelings, and they are met with an overwhelming, loving response from a community of people that really get it.”  

The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.  

Red Bird also hosts support groups and parish gatherings, where parents can speak openly about their story. In the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Gowasack has hosted events at the Cathedral of Christ the King and Holy Spirit Church. 

Gowasack, who has a master’s degree in psychology, said these gatherings often become a lifeline during a family’s most difficult seasons. When leading a group session, Gowasack begins by asking participants, “Have you ever been in a room where you know that every other person in that room gets it?”  

“Sometimes people come in angry and deeply emotional,” she said. “But when they leave, they’re like new people. The transformation starts the minute they walk through the door.” 

As the ministry expands locally, Gowasack plans to form a network of trained parish teams. The goal is to create sustainable, long-term support that remains available to parents for as long as they need it. 

“Child loss is not the kind of grief that can be moved on from,” she said. “For as long as you love your child, which is as long as you are on this earth, there will be an ache for them to be here.” 

Gowasack said the archdiocese’s commitment to strengthening pastoral care makes it an ideal partner for Red Bird’s next chapter. Early stages of leader formation and parish training are expected to begin soon, with the intention of launching programs that reflect the needs of Atlanta’s Catholic communities. 

Despite the pain within the ministry’s mission, Gowasack said Red Bird is ultimately a work of hope. It does not aim to remove grief but to accompany it, teaching parents that their love for their child remains part of their story and their faith. 

“Grief is not pathological,” she said. “There’s always going to be an ache and sorrow. It’s never going to be okay that your child is not here. But there will come a day when it doesn’t take the air out of your lungs.”