11
catholicherald.org March 28, 2019 KAREN MAHONEY SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC HERALD
Since 2010, several members of St. Francis de Sales in Lake Geneva have quietly woven their prayers into beautiful knitted and crocheted prayer shawls of varying hues. Its ministry is patterned after one begun in 1998 by Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo after a Womens Leadership Institute in Hartford, Connecticut. The two women combined compassion with their love of knitting and crocheting into a prayerful ministry to reach out to those in need of comfort and solace, health and healing. Many blessings are prayed into every shawl. Dear Lord, please bless these needles of mine. That I may make a shawl of strength, faith, health and love. Give this shawl the ability to comfort, the ability to heal, the ability to give strength where it is needed and of your will it to be. May the recipient be able to know that you are with them and that they are not alone. That they are cared for and loved and prayed for. That your loving arms are around them, to protect them for whatever reason they should need, whenever they put this shawl on. Lord, thank you for the blessings that this shawl is given. Amen. The shawl maker begins with prayers and blessings for each recipient and upon completion, a final blessing is offered as the shawl is presented to the recipient. The prayer shawl ministry began is an ongoing project of Catholic Daughters of the Americas, explained Lois Maywald, 80, who serves as coordinator of the ministry, along with Elaine Johnson. I was the Regent of Catholic Daughters and we learned of the prayer shawl ministry from one of our members who brought it to our attention at a meeting, she said. They were doing them in Fontana at St. Benedicts, and she thought it was a good idea so she asked if anyone would like to do it. The ministry has since moved from the Catholic Daughters and is now part of the Human Concerns Committee, Maywald explained. Since the ministry began, the women have knitted or crocheted 61 prayer shawls. They go to people who are undergoing medical procedures, experiencing the loss of a loved one, serious illness or recovery, severe emotional distress or the birth of a new baby with health issues, she said. The last two were given to babies with heart problems. Each shawl measures 18 inches wide by 60 to 65 inches in length and takes approximately two weeks to make, Johnson said. It is very healing to the people that receive them. Once you experience giving one to a person who is ill, you see how much it means to them, she said. It is a good feeling of just knowing it is so meaningful to the people getting them. Many people keep telling us over and over that they are still wearing their shawls (long after they were received). The prayer shawl members pray before creating their shawls, during their creation and once they present the shawl to the recipient. They also attach a prayer card to the shawl for the recipient. We recite one prayer while holding hands with the recipient and there is a prayer attached for the recipient to recite whenever they feel the need to be closer to God, said Johnson, 78, who has made over 20 shawls since the ministry began. Each time another prayer shawl is presented to someone, Johnson said it becomes more evident how important the ministry has become to those in the parish. We let the person know that he or she was in our prayers all the while the shawl was being knitted and that it is full of love from us and God, she said. It most often brings tears of happiness or appreciation. The shawl pattern is simple enough for those without any knitting or crocheting experience to master, and Johnson is happy to demonstrate the technique for those interested in being part of the prayer shawl ministry. Once the first six rows of ribbing are inished, it consists of only one stitch throughout to complete, she said. The ministry is a quiet, private and meaningful endeavor that enables needle workers to create from their home and at their leisure. For those not able to knit, cash donations for the purchase of Lion brand homespun yarn are welcomed. Once the shawls are completed, Johnson collects them and keeps a record as to who made them and the date they were presented as well as the name of the recipient. May this shawl be for me a sign of your loving, healing presence. May it warm me when I am weary. May it surround me with encouragement when I am discouraged. May it assure me of your care and comfort when my loved ones and I are in pain. May it remind me that You love me and that I am surrounded by the prayers of others.
Weaving a Prayer at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Lake Geneva
FOR INFORMATION ON THE ST. FRANCIS DE SALES PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
Contact: Elaine Johnson, 262-949-6524 or Lois Maywald, 262-279-5733
p The prayer shawl ministry at St. Francis de Sales in Lake Geneva has created 61 prayer shawls. (Submitted photo)
COUNTY CONNECTION - WALWORTH COUNTY
Previous Page