Prayer Shawl Ministry
In January 2004, St. Catherine of Siena Church in Mendon, NY began a prayer shawl ministry.
We gather as a group to knit and crochet our shawls in a spiritual and prayerful atmosphere, to focus on God's presence in our lives and the blessings we receive. We begin our meetings with prayer and the lighting of our candles. During our meetings, we listen to stories about the shawls that have been given to folks and look through our books in which we record shawl recipients, along with a strand of yarn from the shawl. All notes and cards from those who have received the shawls are included.
We bring our finished shawls to our meetings They are laundered and folded, tied with green ribbon to represent "Hope" and our prayer heart is attached. Each month, one weekend is dedicated to the presentation of all shawls during all Masses. The shawls are brought to the altar with the gifts, prayed over by the congregation, and blessed. They are now ready to be given to folks who are in need of hope...joy...love...peace...courage...in their lives and the knowledge that they are not alone in their daily struggles of life. We close our meetings with prayer, praying for each of those who have received a shawl by name.
Meetings for the group are held on the first Monday of the month at 9:30 a.m., and the last Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.
When we work on our shawls at home, we create a prayerful, quiet time to focus on God's presence in our lives. This could be sitting with someone, or quiet time by yourself, if you have small children. It could be quiet time for all. A favorite closing prayer when you put your shawl aside is as always the ...Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Glory Be...
I have realized while serving this ministry that so many folks at certain times in their lives feel alone and without hope that when they receive a shawl with so many prayers, thoughts, and love woven in, they come to know that God's love is eternally present in their lives and that they are not alone.
Contact: Evelyn Wilson at 624-1042.
