FOREST CITY — Sometimes there’s nothing more comforting than a warm blanket or shawl – especially one crafted by hand with love for someone in need.
Members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry Team at Immaculate Conception Parish have become experts at providing this comfort to our brothers and sisters in need – particularly the sick, homebound, and other people in vulnerable situations.
Over the course of 10 months during the Diocese of Charlotte’s 50th anniversary year, the prayer shawl team has made and delivered 50 prayer shawls (shawls, lapghans, afghans and laprobes) to members of the parish community who are homebound, bereaved, or in adult care facilities, hospitals or hospice care. Recipients also included residents at a local pregnancy resource center. In addition, the team also provided shawls to caregivers as a way to show support for all their hard work and care.
On Oct. 17, the ribbon was tied on the last of their 50 prayer shawls and the shawls were blessed by pastor, Father Herbert Burke, and Deacon Andy Cilone, with delivery occurring a few days later.
During the time they were working on the prayer shawls, the team prayed for each recipient, remembering all those in the parish who were sick or lonely, or just needed a pick-me-up. Some of the shawls were made based on a specific recipient’s special needs. Tall men needed a long, long afghan or lapghan, for example. For others, perhaps the person had a favorite color.
This project came together as a suggestion from one of the members of the Ladies Guild at Immaculate Conception Parish, Betsy Jackson. The team is a small one, but the purpose was pure, so the fingers were nimble. Occasionally a parishioner not able to come to meetings would send in a finished product for the team to pass along.
Ultimately, the joy was in putting a completed and blessed shawl or blanket into a new shopping bag, with a card for the recipient that included a note of care and a prayer. What a feeling!
— Penny Watkins. Photos by Father Herbert Burke
