Wesley Village in Shelton celebrates volunteerism at prayer shawl blessing

Prayer shawl volunteers pictured with Crista Hernan, UMH Director of Spiritual Life.

Back Row: Marion Schmitz (resident), Crista Hernan, Barbara Quinn, Jennie Clark (resident), and Mary Ann Griffiths. Front Row: Wesley Village residents, Betsy Hoffman, Alice Beaver, and Jackie Santagata./ Contributed photo

SHELTON - Wesley Village residents, team members, and volunteers recently gathered at Wesley Heights Independent and Assisted Living Community for the campus’s annual Prayer Shawl Blessing and gathering. 

The senior living campus, managed by United Methodist Homes a local, not-for-profit, mission-based organization with a long history of caring in the community, has proudly hosted the event for several years. 

This year’s gathering featured a ceremony and blessing of the shawls, presented by UMH Director of Spiritual Life Crista Hernan, along with a special recognition for volunteers who have been part of this effort for more than 20 years.

The beginnings of the Wesley Village “Hearts and Hands of Love” prayer shawl ministry date back to 2002 when a small group of staff, residents, and friends began gathering weekly to knit and crochet blankets known as “prayer shawls.”

What started as a small knitting and crocheting group began to grow into a network of dedicated prayer shawl volunteers under the direction of the Wesley Village Director of Volunteer Services, Barbara Quinn. 

Throughout the years these volunteers continued to meet at the campus weekly to knit and crochet, and worked together in various ways to raise funds for the purchase of yarn. 

Prayer shawls, blankets, lap robes, baby hats and blankets, chemo hats and other items were lovingly created and prepared for donating with a message of hope and love attached along with warm thoughts and prayers. 

Every year volunteers gathered with the Wesley Village community to celebrate the hundreds of hours of volunteer work that went into the beautiful shawls, and each shawl and blanket would be blessed during an annual “blessing of the shawls” ceremony before being distributed and shared.

Since then, Wesley Village has continued this tradition of caring, crafting more than 3,500 prayer shawls for those in need. Shawls are created with the intention to provide comfort and peace to individuals or families facing a crisis, time of loss, adversity, illness, end-of-life care, or any kind of physical or emotional hardship. 

With an estimation of 40 hours of volunteer time put into each shawl, the efforts of the Wesley Village Prayer Shawl Ministry have totaled more than 140,000 hours over the past two decades. 

Quinn, now retired, continues to play a role in the prayer shawl volunteer group and regularly gathers at the community with residents, staff, and fellow Wesley Village retiree Mary Ann Griffiths to knit on Thursday mornings.

“The work of the volunteers impacts the lives of many in need to whom they bring the message ‘you are not alone’,” said Quinn. “I’m proud to be part of a wonderful group willing to share their time and talents.”  

Along with Quinn, current members of the group include Wesley Village residents Alice Beaver, Jennie Clark, Betsy Hoffman, Carol Osgood, Jackie Santagata, Marion Schmitz, and Connie Leniart, along with Wesley Village team members Guadalupe Alarcon and Artarene Thompson, and community volunteers Maria Camara, Mary Ann Griffiths, Carolyn Smith, and Carol Zemaitis.

At the recent Prayer Shawl Blessing, Hernan not only blessed the shawls on display, but also blessed the hands of each individual volunteer. She spoke about the unique way the gift of a prayer shawl can provide comfort and warmth and powerfully communicate a message of love. “When our knitters and crocheters gather to make these prayer shawls or even when they are doing it on their own, they recognize that there is a need for love in our world,” said Hernan. “The gift of a prayer shawl can envelop someone like a hug, providing warmth, touch, and comfort in response to what may be inconsolable hurt, pain, loss, or despair. It’s a tangible extension of the love of God through the hands of our prayer shawl ministers.”

Wesley Village senior living campus at 580 Long Hill Ave. is part of United Methodist Homes, a local not-for-profit organization with a nearly 150-year legacy of caring. 

The Wesley Village campus offers independent and assisted living, enhanced assisted living, early memory support, skilled nursing, and short-term rehab. 

To learn more about Crosby Commons, Wesley Heights, Lifestyle Transitions, or Bishop Wicke Health Center, visit our website or contact us at 203-225-5024. 

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes.