Prayer Shawl Knits Community and Blessings for Others

Some of you may have heard about our Prayer Shawl ministry, or you may have admired some of the beautiful pieces on display at our ministry fairs.  But do you know what a prayer shawl is? It’s usually knitted or crocheted, it’s big enough to wrap around your shoulders or cuddle a sick child, and it’s meant to help create a safe space for someone who’s struggling with an illness or heartache. Each shawl is begun with a prayer, blessed when it’s finished, and wrapped with a prayer from the Prayer Shawl Ministry. 

But that’s not all that happens in the Prayer Shawl Ministry. It’s only the beginning!

When parishioner John Budway started going to St Francis Inn, he took up bags of hand-crafted hats and scarves to the guests, bringing comfort & care to those battling homelessness and hunger on the streets of Philadelphia.

Our hats and scarves have also been taken to Duke Children’s Hospital, Moore Square, Ronald McDonald House, and The Healing Place. Blankets and gloves have been provided to Catholic Parish Outreach, Our Lady of the Rosary, and the Veterans Administration Hospital in Durham. In all, 309 pieces were distributed from the Prayer Shawl Ministry last year.  That’s a lot of yarn!

So who does all this crafting?

Generally, there are 24 women who gather every few weeks to swap patterns, learn new stitches, and share time together.  We knit/crochet because we enjoy it, because we have a calling to provide care and comfort to others, and because our ability to form loops and knots around a needle can help someone in need.  And we also get beautiful blankets, hats and sweaters donated anonymously.

When parishioner and now staff member Kathleen Owen  joined this ministry, it was for two reasons.  When her mom was sick, she received a beautiful shawl from the ministry.  Her mom would wear it as she took her out to the fish pool at Rex. After she passed away, Kathleen wanted to be able to provide a visible sign of caring to someone else in need; someone she didn’t know, but who needed to know that others cared about their struggle. So Kathleen took her little garter stitch to a Prayer Shawl meeting and soon began learning new stitches and making shawls, hats, and even afghans!

So if you’d like to learn to knit or crochet, or if you’d like to be able to help comfort those in need, please join us on the first and third Thursdays of the month, at 12:30 in Room 202. And if you know of someone who needs a shawl, please contact Cindy Cardello at 919-846-8825.

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Resurrection and Life

by Trevor Thompson
Director of Pastoral Ministries
Fifth Sunday of Lent

Today, we encounter Lazarus, dead four days in a cave-like tomb outside Jerusalem, bound in his burial robes, his stench seeping forth from cold earth and cut stone.  And we meet his sisters, Martha and Mary, who are riding the emotional rollercoaster of death’s dark story.  We then see Jesus arriving at the tomb and setting in motion a series of life-saving actions that bring this man from Bethany back to the living.  He weeps with the sisters, rolls back the burial stone, calls Lazarus up and out, and then tells the others, “Untie him and let him go.”    

I believe that our faith community here at St. Francis of Assisi tries to live out this life-saving action of Jesus through the many ministries within Family Life, Pastoral Care, and the Franciscan Coalition.  I am thinking particularly of our parish-based support-group ministries where we provide the Church’s loving presence to those living in the midst of life’s many anxieties, fears, frustrations, and grief.  See (below) some of the ways we, as a church, weep together, roll back stones together, call each other out, and unbind each other.  For many, St. Francis of Assisi has been a place of healing and love, freedom and dignity, and life and resurrection.  I pray that we might continue to be faithful to Jesus’ witness:  Who amongst us are “in the tomb”?  Are we, like Jesus, calling them out of the tomb into new life?  Do our parish ministries offer the loving presence and support and dignity in the midst of life’s anxieties, fears, frustrations, and grief?  Are we doing enough as a parish to address the many ways our American cultures keep us “in death”?  Do we really believe and embody “resurrection and life” to each other?

Ministries of “Resurrection and Life”

For those experiencing the “death” of unemployment…Job Connections Ministry

For those “in the tomb” from the loss of a loved one…Grief Share Ministry

For those who need support in caring for those with dementia…Alzheimer’s/Dementia Ministry

For those couples struggling to find love and freedom in marriage…3^rd Option Ministry

For those bound by their fears of “coming out”…Always Our Children Ministry

For those “dying” for prayerful and emotional support to deal with stress, grief, life transitions or other concerns…Stephen Ministry

For those bound to their homes…Caregivers and Eucharistic Ministers and Mass Transit

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Dynamic Speaker Inspires at Job Connections Meeting

Tim Dumas, noted speaker, consultant and magician presented at the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church Job Connections Ministry monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 22 . Tim combines his unique experience in the business and entertainment world to help clients find exceptional ways to improve creativity, increase sales and profits, and use humor to develop fun and productive work environments. The presentation was aimed at assisting job seekers, as well as improving current job effectiveness. Additional information on Tim Dumas may be found at http://www.timdumas.com

The Job Connections Ministry at St. Francis, in existence for over two years, seeks to encourage and support men and women while they are in between jobs. The ministry offers instruction and support while providing encouragement, information, networking, job search skills and spiritual guidance. It is open to anyone in the community and meets monthly at St. Francis. Additional information on the ministry may be found at http://www.stfrancisraleigh.org/job_connections

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Prayer Shawl Ministry Gives Away Their Goods

The Prayer Shawl ministry continues to knit, crochet, and sew their prayers with yarn and fabric and give their wares to those in need in our community and beyond.  Since September 2010, this ministry has given 333 items away.  These items, which include hats, scarves, blankets, lap robes, and shawls, were distributed to several local agencies, like Catholic Parish Outreach, Duke Children’s Hospital, and Ronald McDonald House.  Some hats and scarves were also brought by the 4th and 5th graders of The Franciscan School to Moore Square in Raleigh, and others were taken by a St. Francis of Assisi delegation to St. Francis Inn in Kensington, Philadelphia.  This ministry continues to gather a vibrant and fun group of parishioners together for a couple hours every Thursday at 1230pm.  If you would like more information about this ministry or you would like to volunteer in this ministry, please contact Regina Sisinni at 841-5866 or Cindy Cardello at 846-8825.

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