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| Handmade pillowcases are displayed in the chapel at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Beloit before being sent to their sister parish, St. Joan of Arc Parish in Plymouth, N.C. (Contributed photo) |
BELOIT — Intending to bring Christmas cheer and delight to children at their sister parish, a talented group of Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) parishioners sewed 187 flannel pillowcases to be used as gifts.
The array of colorful pillowcases was displayed on pews in the OLA Blessed Sacrament Chapel before being sent to the sister parish, St. Joan of Arc in Plymouth, N.C.
Gift for children
It’s an important OLA project that continues to help the Catholic faith grow in the St. Joan of Arc greater community, according to the intention of an OLA Small Christian Community (SCC) that initiated the project.
“It’s a gift for each child that will last indefinitely,” said DeeDee Spahos, a member of the SCC.
According to Spahos, the pillowcases will be given to children from infants to about age 18 years.
The pillowcase materials feature a large variety of designs ranging from charming animals and princesses to spacemen, race cars, and sports teams, including the Wisconsin Badgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Spahos said, “A little pillowcase project in our Small Christian Community turned into a big deal. It mushroomed!”
An expert seamstress, Spahos has sewn pillowcases as gifts for people for several years. She donated six pillowcases to be used as activity prizes when an OLA group visited St. Joan of Arc a couple years ago. They were popular with the children.
Parishioners help
This Christmas instead of sending toys, the SCC decided to approach OLA parishioners, asking for help to sew the gifts.
Spahos said there was an overwhelming response. “More than 25 people made pillowcases including women, a man, and two children, ages nine and 12 years.
“There were donations of fabric; some parishioners donated money for the purchase of flannel material.
“Parishioner Casey Christofferson donated the shipping cost. Rita Bonds hand-knitted donated five baby blankets to add to the gift donation.
“The neatest thing about the pillowcase project is the generosity of the people who constructed them. A couple of women made 20 or more each. Also, the pillowcases are so pretty. We marveled at the large variety of designs. People love them; they make people feel good,” said Spahos.
Sister parish project
At OLA, a group from a SCC in the parish inaugurated the sister parish project in 2011 and parishioners have added their enthusiastic support.
After discussion and prayer, the group had decided they wanted to reach out to a Catholic community that was struggling, according to Dave and Rita Bonds, the OLA contact couple for the project.
The group has traveled to St. Joan of Arc Parish to establish a working relationship and to get to know the people.
“Our (SCC) group wanted a personal experience, to travel to the parish, to reach out with a handshake and establish a working relationship. We did not want to just give money to a community,” the Bonds stated.