Hiding in the Upper Room: How the Catholic Sacraments Healed Me from Child Loss

by Kelly Breaux

Kelly and her husband Ryan were given a cross that no parent should have to carry . . . watching two of their children die before their very eyes. For years, Kelly battled numbness, despair, and anger, repeatedly asking God “why?” Though Catholic, she avoided attending Mass where she was haunted by images of the funerals, by other little children who resembled her own children, by people looking at her with sympathetic eyes or asking her questions she didn’t want to answer.Until one night when God visited Kelly in a dream and gave her the answer she’d been asking of Him. This dream punctured the ice of grief that Kelly had been trapped under and she felt a deep longing for intimacy with God. Through the sacraments of the Catholic Church, God has given Kelly a way to turn her grief into a mission of love and healing."Kelly reveals her gut-wrenching encounter with this unbearable sorrow. She shows each of us . . . the pain of her cross. We see her pain, bitterness, anger, despair, and brokenness—all symptoms of the burden of the cross. Suffering is real and it’s ugly and it’s very human. This is not only the story of a mother’s grief, however. Kelly shows us the depth of her pain so we may know the heights of Christ’s healing power. " -Rev. Garrett McIntyre, Pastor, St. Bernard Catholic Church, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

212 pages, Paperback

Published March 27, 2020

Reviews

[Lisa Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a deep place of grief that Christ has brought restoration, this book shares a family’s remarkable journey through loss. The agonizing pain and emotional wreckage, the path to healing and hope — Kelly Breaux lays out her heart in order to help others. While I’ve not lost a child, I cared for both of my parents before they passed, and found grief and spiritual insights that resonated with me. A book on a human response to grief and the Divine presence in the healing power of the Sacraments is long overdue and entirely necessary. It is a gift not just to grieving parents, and to those who want to support them, but to The Church.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly’s story comes straight from her heart to my grieving heart. There are so many nuggets of wisdom, vulnerability, and hope. Highly recommend this book and Red Bird Ministries for those who have lost a child or are supporting someone who has.

[Mike and Wendy Meehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving message one grieving parent to another

This book is a blessing through the pain. Kelly shared her gift by sharing her transformation through the pain of child loss.