WESTERLY – An elderly resident of a nursing home has no family or friends to visit. A parishioner who was recently discharged from the hospital is weak and unable to prepare a meal. Emotionally distraught parents of a teenage son grieve his death.
It has been said that “Many hands make light work,” and at Saint Clare Parish in Misquamicut, those many hands come together to do God’s work as members of the Helping Hands Ministry.
In the spring of 2004, the late pastor of Saint Clare Parish, Rev. Peter M. Cavanaugh, contacted the Office of Stewardship & Development for the Diocese of Providence to obtain guidance in implementing stewardship as a way of life within the parish community.
As Saint Clare Parish embarked on its stewardship journey of faith, new ministries soon began to develop, some of which were social action: elderly, needy, sick and bereavement. On October 4, 2004, the first meeting was held for the Social Action Elderly Ministry, whose sole purpose was to help and support the seniors of the parish.
The ministry’s objective was to assist senior parishioners with such services as shopping, errands, simple chores, holiday decorating, visits, transportation arrangements and basic house cleaning. Then, in May, 2005, the Social Action Elderly Ministry became known as the Helping Hands Ministry. With a revised combined mission statement, members set out to “provide appropriate direction to local social agencies and follow-up as needed and to provide occasional meals and visits to people in our parish community who are ill.” The current pastor, Rev. Kenneth J. Suibielski, was appointed July 1, 2005. During the fall of 2005, the Helping Hands Ministry again revised the mission statement to reflect its expanded outreach efforts to include the already-existing bereaved ministry within the faith community.
The Helping Hands Ministry offers opportunities for its 45 members to share their gifts of time and talent through various services, one of which is weekly visitations to Watch Hill Care and Rehab, a long-term, short-term nursing facility located within the boundaries of Saint Clare Parish. Working in conjunction with the activities director, Helping Hands volunteers provide caring services for the residents such as playing cards, bingo games and also help to serve coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
One 13-year-old student from the parish, who needed to fulfill a school service project, truly enjoyed his experience of bringing joy to the residents by talking and sharing stories with them.
A caring attitude for the sick coupled with a love and talent for knitting led to the formation of the parish’s Shawl Ministry in the fall of 2005. Knitted or crocheted, prayer shawls are crafted with blessings knitted into each three-stitch pattern. This pattern is symbolic of planting peace, healing love, comfort and hope.
The completed prayer shawls are delivered to parishioners who are undergoing a medical procedure, recovering from an illness, or for those who are homebound. The recipient also receives a card that reads, “Be well, be warm, be loved, be comforted; and around this gathered circle, this shawl has passed through our praying hands and blessed by our loving hearts.”
Overcome with gratitude for the kindness of others, one parishioner wrote, “There is nothing more comforting than the thoughtfulness of the Helping Hands Ministry. The prayer shawl is beautiful and it comes with such caring and prayerful blessings.”
Then, in January, 2006, as a gesture of condolence and a way to connect with families suffering bereavement through death, Fr. Suibielski suggested that Helping Hands expand the process and incorporate the “Blanket of Care” into the bereavement component. Each blanket, which takes about one to two hours to make, is delivered six to eight weeks after the time of death. Attached is a note card that states, “To bring you comfort, warmth, peace in your time of need…To remind you that the Saint Clare Parish community shares in your sorrow and will remember you and your loved ones in our prayers.”
Helping Hands is in the process of implementing an ongoing plan for bereaved families, including a “Thinking of You” card sent about a month from the date of death, a follow-up telephone call at the six-month period and a first-year remembrance card. In addition, survivors are offered assistance with meal preparation, house-sitting services during wakes and funerals, and a support group.
“Our Ministry of Consolation attempts to re-incorporate the bereaved back into the community. Our mission is to reach out to the survivors, those who are often forgotten, and not allow them to fall between the cracks,” said Fr. Suibielski.
As a tangible reminder of God’s power to comfort, strengthen and heal, Helping Hands visits family members of the deceased to let them know they are in the thoughts and prayers of the parish. Information is provided about the monthly Bereavement Fellowship Breakfast for Women and the Men’s Grief Support Group.
Emily Scott has served as the coordinator of the Helping Hands Ministry since January, 2005. “They have been some of the most rewarding, fulfilling and sometimes challenging times of my life, having had the opportunity and privilege to work with some very special people,” Scott said.
Many of these special people that Emily refers to share their time and talent at the Westerly Area Rest Meal (WARM) Shelter, a 19-bed homeless shelter whose mission is to “prevent or alleviate homelessness by providing a continuum of care and service to the homeless and needy.”
The Westerly WARM Shelter soup kitchen serves lunch and dinner seven days a week. The Saint Clare Helping Hands Ministry provides one nutritious meal each month for some 25 to 40 people. Some members cook, while others prepare the ingredients and still others donate fresh food items or assist with serving the meal. Whether it is lasagna, roast pork, chicken rice casserole or chili, all meals include salad and fruit. The grateful board, staff, residents and soup kitchen patrons of the shelter presented Saint Clare Parish with a certificate of appreciation which proclaimed, “We cannot do what we do without you!”
And that’s not all. During Advent, Helping Hands coordinates and distributes “Saint Nicholas Day” kits to four Westerly human service agencies. Kits might contain items such as laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, and shampoo. The “Winter Warmth Kit” might contain gloves, hats, scarves, and sweatshirts. The “Teen Male Personal Kit” might contain deodorant, soap, toothbrushes, and combs. Remarkably, in December, 2006, 370 kits were donated by Saint Clare Parish. Members also organized an “Adopt-a-Family” program, last year providing 53 families with gifts from their “wish” list. These gifts were distributed to the WARM Shelter, the Bradford Jonnycake Center, the Westerly Integrated Social Service Program, and the Saint Vincent de Paul Society.
Similar to the Saint Nicholas Kits, parishioners are invited to come forward on Holy Thursday during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Parishioners donated 125 bags of food, along with gift certificates from local grocery stores. The overflowing bags were then distributed to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society.
Coordinator Mary Auger noted, “The Helping Hands Ministry is always ready to help when called upon. We are hopeful that we will be able to continue to meet some of the needs within our community.”
