Bringing Comfort to Those in Need

The Shrine of St. Anthony in Ellicott City, Maryland

At the Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua in Ellicott City, Maryland something special happens on every second Tuesday of the month. A number of parishioners comes together and knits shawls. Remembering St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, the parishioners create these shawls to provide not only physical warmth and comfort to those in need, but also at least a little bit of a mental reprieve. Each shawl is knitted for a specific person. This may be a relative of a fallen soldier or someone battling a disease. Whoever the recipient might be he or she will know that the shawl comes from a person who cares.

Knitting shawls

Care and embracing those in need is what Francis and Clare of Assisi were all about. They did not merely think of themselves or a small social group. Instead they reached out to the wider world of individuals who were sick and cast out of society. They approached these individuals with love and humility, reminding them of God's eternal love. The group from the Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua tries to do the same.

St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi