Prayer Shawl Ministry

Beginning To Knit Dedication
By: Janet Bristow - 2000
© 2008 All Rights Reserved by Shawl Ministries

Mantle of Love, Healer of Hearts,

I light this candle as a reminder of Your presence as I begin.
I ask a blessing from all who have come before me;
whose hands have been instruments of creation and beauty;
who have used humble tools and hand-spun wool in order to provide cover and warmth for
themselves and those they loved;
who have felt, as I will feel, the yarn in their fingers;
who have seen, as I will see, the growth of the fabric;
who have heard, as I will hear, the click of the needles.

Guide my attention to stay on course.
Hold me close and ground me.
Bless, also, this yarn and these knitting needles.
May any negative energy connected to them be cast away as I cast on;
and all positive energy bound in as I bind off.
In their simplicity, may I find comfort and solace.

Bless my hands...
Often just appendages at the end of my arms...
workers doing their job without appreciation...looked at, yet not really seen.
These instruments of love have done mundane tasks, yet also create beauty.
They reach out, touch, stroke, scrub, lift, grasp, gesture and guide.
These hands, my hands, gifts of great importance,
Blessings be on them and in them as I begin.
May the fruits of their labor be good!

This ministry of making and giving shawls serves the parish family and the community as a gesture of love in times of sorrow and fear, as well as celebration and joy. The givers and receivers benefit. Both are aware that the shawls are symbolic of God's encompassing love. As a result, hearts open, emotional barriers are lifted, and blessings are received. Because this process is a spiritual practice, meetings are prayerful as well as social. All level of knitters/crocheters are welcome---women & men!