The Christ the King Parish Prayer Shawl Ministry meets in Father Crawford Hall, Incarnation Church the second and fourth Thursday of the month at 1:00pm.  We sit and chat, knit, crochet, and swap patterns.  New members are always welcome.

 Our Mission and Goal

 To provide prayer shawls and lap blankets to those who are homebound, ill, or in need of comfort during times of loss. They provide a constant warm hug and serve as a reminder that someone cares about them. To present baby blankets to the families of infants newly baptized at Christ the King, as we welcome them as new members of the parish.  And to make prayer cloths for Religious Education and Corpus Christi School children making their First Communion and scarves for Confirmation candidates as our way of congratulating them for continuing to strengthen their faith as they make their sacraments.

What Do We Do?

The Prayer Shawl Ministry creates shawls and lap blankets for those who need comfort, solace, and support during times of illness, loss or other difficulty.  Items are knitted or crocheted with prayers dedicated to those who will receive them and are blessed by our priests.  Cards handmade by a member of our ministry accompany all shawls and lap blankets. We make baby blankets for infants baptized at Christ the King. A special Baptism card is included in the packaged gift.  For those making their First Communion—the CCD class and the Corpus Christi School students, we make and donate prayer cloths.  These are pocket-sized squares with a cross in the middle.  A wooden cross and three beads are sewn on, and a special card is attached.  Finally, scarves are knitted and crocheted for distribution to the Confirmation candidates. In each scarf, the number three is somehow incorporated.  As we say to the confirmand, in our faith, “three” has great spiritual significance.  For example, the Holy Trinity (Father/Son/Holy Spirit), and the Holy Family (Jesus/Mary/Joseph).  As members of the Christ the King Prayer Shawl Ministry, we create scarves incorporating this special number (a 3-stitch pattern, 3 colors, or a pattern of stitches divisible of 3). 

We are always adding new projects and are open to your suggestions.

At our meetings, we knit or crochet while we discuss what we are working on; what we have completed; and what we plan to work on next.  Any completed projects are dropped off and stored in plastic storage bins which are in a closet where we also store supplies.  A custom label is sewn on shawls and baby blankets and a Miraculous Heart of Mary medal is attached to all shawls and lap blankets.  Once our bins are full, we have one of the priests bless the items.

If you are interested in an opportunity to knit/crochet for a good cause, you might want to consider joining this ministry.  Once you knit/crochet one of these beautiful and comforting shawls, both you and the recipient will be connected in a unique and powerful way.    

Who to Contact?

Call or stop by the Christ the King Parish Rectory office (860-529-2545) or contact Mary Scott at 860-202-7163 or [email protected] if you know of anyone—a fellow parishioner, friend, family member, co-worker, neighbor, etc.  who would benefit from receiving a prayer shawl or lap blanket.

If you are interested in joining this ministry, you are welcome to stop by a meeting or contact Mary with any questions. We have opportunities for members to knit, crochet, and create cards to accompany the shawls.  Whether you are an accomplished needle worker or would like to learn, please join us.