Let's get serious!

Lots going on in the new year with our ministry.

• This Thursday will be our formal farewell to Sheeba who will be leaving Chapel Hill and traveling to her new home in Aarhus, Denmark for a position at the university there. We will be at the 411 on Franklin Street at 6:30 PM after the 5:00 PM Mass and a short meeting in the Newman Library. Please let me know if you are able to join us as I will be making reservations. Sheeba only joined us a year ago without any clue as to how to knit. Since then, she has contributed so much to our ministry. Along with the shawls and scarves she's made, Sheeba was the person who made sure all those going on alternative spring break trips, retreats, and other mission trips, and those who received confirmation received a prayer square, which is a symbol of the love and prayers from the Newman community.

• Father John will be able to bless our shawls after the 5:00 PM Mass on Thursday.

• Mary Beth is working very hard on a new prayer cloth for the small faith group Paul will be leading this month. All the squares have been completed by so many of you and she is now in the process of putting them together. I am very excited to see the finished product and promise to post pix as soon as it is finished. Wish we could help you with it, Mary Beth. 

• Marianne has finished the afghan/blanket that Newman will give to the family who is moving into the soon-to-be-completed Habitat house. She has put much time and effort into this project. Thank you so much. I do have a pic of this blanket. Isn't it beautiful?

• Now the need is baby booties for the baby shower Newman will be having in support of Pregnancy Support Services in February - around 18 pairs to be exact - a pair to represent each person who was baptized at Newman during the last year. We are hopeful they will be displayed in some way (still working on that) during our Masses that weekend. Some of us are already working on this project. If you need yarn, be sure to check our cupboard in the library. I also have, in my very own stash, yarn in several colors which would make really cute booties. Other items such as baby blankets, sweaters and hats will be much appreciated. Let me know if you need patterns. We have easy ones and more difficult ones for either mindless knitting or, if you prefer, a challenge. 

• After the baby shower will come the Alternative Spring Break Trips. That means prayer squares. We have a new pattern, posted on October 26, by Sheeba. If you prefer to crochet, please feel free to use the crochet bookmark pattern posted by Mary Beth on the blog on September 10. We will use both the crocheted bookmarks or the knitted prayer squares.

• I would also like to ask for some help with the coordination of the prayer squares. I think it will be just a little bit too much for Sheeba to do that from Denmark. She's really good with a computer, but ...

• If you prefer to make shawls or lapghans, it would be best to work on lapghans which would be appropriate for men or women. We do have a good supply of triangle shawls.