|
Tight-knit group: Women pray, make shawls for needy
By Andrew Junker, ajunker@catholicsun.org
May 15, 2008
TEMPE — For members of Holy Spirit Parish’s shawl ministry, every Friday morning begins with a list of names.
As the dozen or so women sit around a table — yarn and crochet hooks or knitting needles in their laps — Sarah Alcazar lights a candle and calls out names like Rosemary, Marge and a host of others.
They’re the ones who have received a shawl made by the group, who keep the recipients in their prayers even as they knit for new people.
“We light this candle for potential recipients and those who haven’t yet been identified: the sick, the bereaved and the troubled,” Alcazar prays. “We light this candle for shawl ministry around the world.”
Many religious denominations support shawl ministry. The main idea is that knitters make a shawl while praying for its eventual recipient. They can bring comfort and solace to those in pain, Alcazar said.
“The shawls go to people who are going through sickness or a divorce or they’re going through bad times financially or emotionally,” said Alcazar, who founded the ministry at Holy Spirit Parish in February. “They are so touched.”
Personal connection
Alcazar got the idea for shawl ministry from a book she stumbled across in a used bookstore. Called “Knitting into the Mystery,” it described the basics of the ministry.
A few encouraging words from her fellow parishioners and a promise of support from her pastor Fr. Thomas Halleston convinced Alcazar to organize the ministry.
Fr. Halleston recently blessed the ministry and described its purpose to the parish at all weekend Masses. He also often blesses the shawls once they have been completed.
“We’ve gotten a lot of parishioners involved through this,” Fr. Halleston said. “Another way for parishioners to be involved in the ministry, besides knitting and crocheting, is to donate yarn and materials.”
Judging by the large pile of shawls and scarves the women have organized in a corner of the room, donations could come in handy.
But for the knitters, the personal connection they share with each shawl recipient remains the focus.
Mary Anne Reuter, a parishioner of Resurrection Parish who joined the shawl ministry a few weeks after it was founded, said she loves the fact that she can help others with her knitting talent.
“Just this week I’ve given a shawl to someone whose mother is in hospice. She loved the prayers that went into it,” Reuter said. “It’s not just the item. It’s the fact that we are praying for the recipients. These are crocheted and knitted with prayer.”
Alcazar agreed.
“I made a couple of shawls for a friend who is going through a very tumultuous marriage,” she said. “She called me later and said she wears the shawl and feels the peace and comfort. There are just lots of prayers that go into them.”
Alcazar invited anyone to join in the ministry even if they lack knitting or crocheting skills. There are plenty of experts in the group who can teach them, she said.
She also hopes that shawl ministry will spread to other parishes in the diocese, especially since it’s so enriching both for the recipients and the knitters themselves.
“It comforts you and other people. It gives you peace when you’re knitting or crocheting. You feel the peace and the tranquility,” she said. “And then you add the prayers on top of that — what else can you ask for?”
|
