By Laura Lane
Spools of colorful yarn spilling onto the floor. Small candles flickering nearby in the center of the circle. The group of women are working tirelessly, knitting and crocheting shawls that will be sent to ailing members of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. It's a labor of love.
Some people believe that prayer belongs in church, while others prefer to pray at home. A group of industrious North Merrick and East Meadow women have given a new meaning to prayer. On the second Monday of each month, they join together for a prayer shawl ministry at Sacred Heart.
"There are unfortunately a lot of sick people to give the shawls to," said Marie Gandini, of East Meadow. "The shawls bring love and caring to our parishioners who are homebound or ill and need caring. I felt I had to do this ministry."
Gandini got the idea to form the group after attending a similar prayer shawl ministry at St. Ignatius Church in Manhasset. When she started the Sacred Heart group, 18 women attended, but now there are 28 involved. Some women, unable to stay for the meeting, drop off completed shawls.
"The ladies are lovely, so giving of their time and talents," said Dora Accurso, Gandini's mother. "The meetings are very moving. We begin and end them with prayer as we pass the shawls from one person to the next and pray for those who are sick and each other's shawls."
Regina Platt of North Merrick has been a member of Sacred Heart for 35 years. She said she was intrigued by the idea of the shawl ministry, which she found out about by reading the church bulletin.
"The crocheting is a prayer," Platt said. "I strongly believe prayer connects people and is a way of letting people know you care. Someone wrote a thank you note to us and said that putting the shawl around her shoulders felt like someone was embracing them. The shawls are a physical bond."
Betty Schmidt, of North Merrick, said she often prays over the shawl that she is knitting. "It's nice to pray in numbers, to share it with other women," she said. "This is a chance to get out one night a month and feel like you're doing good work."
The ladies hope that younger women will join their group. Gandini said she's reaching out to Girl Scout troops. You don't need to know how to knit or crochet, she explained. The ladies will teach anyone who'd like to join.
"Doing this has been a blessing," Gandini said. "Everyone here is enthusiastic. This is what we love to do."
The prayer shawl ministry meets on the second Monday of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The group accepts donations of new yarn. For further information, call Marie Gandini at (516) 662-3055.
Comments about this story? Llane@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
