Do you enjoy knitting or crocheting? Come and join the Crafty Ladies once a month to make items for local charities. We have our regular meetings on the second Monday of each month from 6:30 to 8 pm in the Pastoral Center. Call Darlene Hrankaj at 708-452-5715 for more information. Refreshments are served. Yarn donations are greatly appreciated.

The work that these ladies do, go to those in need. Many, many hats, scarves, mittens, and slippers have been made and shared with those in nursing homes, hospitals and shelters. These ladies also share much conversation, laughter and a treat as they make their items for the needy. So if you have the desire to learn the basics, or if you already know how to crochet, you are welcome to join them.

Our Crafty Ladies are in need of yarn. If you or any one you know has yarn that is not being used, please bring it to the Pastoral Center so these ladies may continue their ministry.

PRAYER BLANKET PROJECT

Do you know of someone who is seriously or terminally ill?
Is this person confined to his/her home, a nursing home, or some other institution of care?
Is he/she feeling isolated and cut off from our community of faith?
Would the prayers of the St. Celestine Parish community be a source of comfort and grace during this time of special need?

If you answered “Yes” to these questions, then you may wish to request a prayer blanket for him/her.

Thanks to the loving concern of Sr. Marylyn Welter, Becky Serpe, and the Crafty Ladies, our parish is embarking on a new project to reach out to the members and friends of our parish community who are seriously affected by illness. Since these individuals frequently are unable to join us at Mass because of the circumstances of their illness, we want to assure them that they are being remembered in prayer and kept close to the heart of our faith community. To this end, one of the specially made blankets (courtesy of the Crafty Ladies) is brought to Mass on the person’s behalf by the individual who is requesting it. The blanket is blessed and prayed over by the gathered community. It is then taken to the person, thereby surrounding him/her with the prayer intentions of our community.

The process of acquiring a prayer blanket for someone is simple. To begin, you contact one of the receptionists at the Pastoral Center at 708-453-2555 with the request for a prayer blanket and provide the following information:

1. Your name and contact information.
2. The name of the person who is to receive a prayer blanket.

You will then be contacted by a member of the Prayer Blanket Team who will arrange a time for you to bring one of the prayer blankets to Mass for the blessing, after which you will bring the blanket to the person. In addition, the person’s first name only will be listed in a special part of the parish bulletin so that the entire parish community may keep him/her in prayer.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly. I ask for your patience in advance as we start up this new project. There can always be a few bugs to be worked out in any new project.

Wishing you peace,
Fr. Jeffrey

Pictures of a Prayer Blanket Blessing