On an auspicious day, 07/07/07, a dozen women gathered with yarn and some tools and embarked on a labor of love for people they did not even know. Some knit and some crochet, some are experienced and some are learners but they all have the heart of a giver.
St. Theresa Women’s Club of St. Adalbert’s Parish established a Knitting & Crocheting Ministry that makes small afghans and shawls for people of our parish and community as expressions of care and concern. The group meets in the afternoon of the first Saturday of each month in St. Adalbert’s.
This outreach of compassion is a journey of prayer and faith. As the knitting or crocheting is worked, prayers and blessings for the recipient are woven into the work. The women will probably never know the person that is the recipient of the handiwork or how their love and concern has touched another’s life. The group makes prayer or healing shawls to wrap around the shoulders of those suffering great loss; small afghan bed covers and lap afghans to warm and console those facing terminal illnesses; and small baby blankets to caress ill and stillborn infants. These items are distributed within the parish as well as to the community through Trinitas Regional Medical Center’s Palliative Care Program.
Each item is tagged with a card that reads, “This comes to you from The Knitting Ministry of St. Theresa Women’s Club of St. Adalbert’s Church in Elizabeth NJ. It was made just for you! It has been blessed by loving hearts and passed through praying hands. May it keep you warm and bring you comfort. May you be cradled in hope and blessed with peace. You will always remain in our prayers.” Over a thousand
items have been distributed by the group since its inception.
Members include Diane Bodzioch, Charlotte Drozd, Adele Horbacz, Stephanie Koziol, Ann Nocek, Kathy Skrupskis, Krystyna Stafenau, Angie Walters, Flo Wojton, and Sophie Zglobicki.