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Prayer Shawl Ministry: Sharing God’s Love, One Stitch at a Time
It’s hard to imagine anything more comforting than wrapping up in a warm shawl or blanket, knowing that the person who lovingly made it by hand was praying for you with each stitch. This is the simple gift of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, which has given away over 600 shawls and blankets since 2007.
Barb Borkovec got the idea for the ministry from a friend. At first, she decided to make a prayer shawl herself, but soon she wondered if other ladies at the parish might be interested. Ten women came to that first meeting in 2007. Since then, the Prayer Shawl Ministry has been meeting once a month. Although each member knits or crochets their shawls and blankets at home, the meetings are a chance for the ladies to pray together, share patterns, and see one another’s handiwork. Barb also attaches a ribbon and prayer card to each shawl. The shawls are then blessed by one of the priests.
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Many of the shawls and blankets go to people who are struggling in some way — they are often ill or homebound. The Prayer Shawl Ministry relies on the entire parish to get shawls to people who need them and there are no limitations on who can receive a shawl — recipients don’t have to be a parishioner and they don’t have to be Catholic. Shawls have been sent all over the country.
Barb recalls a powerful example of how God has worked through the Prayer Shawl Ministry. A parishioner had an elderly woman on her mail route whose husband had recently passed away. She had been wondering how she could help when she learned about the Prayer Shawl Ministry at church. So, she took a shawl and left it at the woman’s mailbox. The next week, the woman met the mail carrier at her mailbox and told her that the shawl had in fact been left on her birthday.
In addition, Barb has kept two journals and countless thank-you notes documenting the work of the ministry.
“When I read the thank-you notes, I think, ‘Wow, this is why we’re doing this,’” she says. “It’s so rewarding.”
The work of the Prayer Shawl Ministry encompasses more than serving those who receive the shawls. Although the work is done at home, the meetings are a wonderful opportunity for those who can go. The ladies love to teach knitting and crocheting to anyone who would like to come to a meeting and learn.
“When we do meet, it’s good social time,” Barb says.
The parish office always has a supply of shawls and blankets ready to go. Parishioners who know someone in need are welcome to stop by and take a shawl for them. The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets at St. Wenceslaus, but parishioners from St. John and Sts. Mary and Hyacinth are welcome to join.
(From left) Rosie Marx, Dorothy Guenther, Jeanne Pagel, Georgeanna Bunnell, Barb Borkovec and Cecelia Ramer
