Healing Blanket Ministry
In June, 2004, the Healing Blanket Ministry was brought to St. James' by parishioner Carolyn Heymann, as part of the Episcopal Church Women.
Carolyn was serving as parish nurse and heard about the program, with blankets made by church members and blessed by church leaders. Excited volunteers gathered fabric from their closets and drawers and got to work.
They’ve gathered once a month in the many years since the program was launched, handcrafting blankets. “The most rewarding part is seeing how our congregation has embraced this program,” said Heymann.
“From cutting fabric, sewing and ironing to having the blankets blessed on the altar and then distributed to people in need – it’s incredibly fulfilling.” She’s amazed that four or five "regulars" show up each month, while over the years, at least 20+ women have been working on the blankets over the past two decades and has created a worldwide impact.
Parishioners have distributed blankets to people in need across the country and around the world. The healing blankets are offered as a source of comfort during difficult times. They’ve been given to people suffering with illness, grief, loss and loneliness.
To date, more than 1,730 blankets have been distributed.
Some have been sent to soldiers overseas and several blankets were sent to Newtown, Connecticut after the Sandy Hook Elementary
School shooting in 2012. Many cards and letters of thanks have been sent to members of the Healing Blanket Ministry over the years. Heymann says it’s very moving to hear of the lives touched and to know the blankets are a comfort to those who receive them.
The 36-inch square blankets are made from a rainbow of colors and fabrics, with a prayer sewn onto each one before they’re neatly ironed, carefully folded and tied with a ribbon. The blankets are placed on the altar and blessed by our Priest on the first Sunday of each month and the entire congregation says a prayer for the recipients, before blankets are distributed by parishioners.
Each blanket carries the following prayer: “This blanket was sewn with love and blessed. Know that you are covered by the prayers and love of the community of St. James’ Episcopal Church. In Jesus’ name we pray that you will be healed.”
In 2016, the "Baby Joy" Blanket Ministry was created to give blessed blankets to parents of newborns. And since the inception of this program, more than 100 blankets have been blessed and distributed.
2024 is a Celebration Year as the Ministry celebrates its 20th anniversary. This ministry is what Outreach is all about since it has "reached out" to so many people, so many denominations -- Christian or Non-Christian, it doesn't matter. The message on the cards with the blankets tell the story. St. James', in the spirit of Christ, is reaching out to EVEYRONE.
Many, many letters of thanks and gratitude have been sent to the Healing Blanket Ministry extolling the power of prayer and the comfort of the blanket. Click below for just one example of a letter from a family who received the Healing Blanket in time of serious need.
Read about the 20th anniversary of the healing blanket ministry here.
