By Cecilia M Romero, parishioner, St Joseph Maronite Church, GA
It all started over a year ago with a phone call from Sister Marla Marie, Superior of the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light, asking my advice on fundraising for the convent. During that conversation and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I had an idea. I proposed that I could donate my crochet skills and make baby items which in turn could be displayed at the sisters’ table at the annual National Apostolate of Maronites (NAM) convention.
My reasoning for this kind of fundraising was that our Sisters are our mothers in the church and they offer their whole lives to God through various works of mercy and catechesis throughout our Maronite parishes. Mothers and children go hand in hand. Our Sisters often hold our hands in their hearts through prayer as we journey towards heaven.
The art of thread crochet is a hobby I share with my own mother, Mami. In her youth, Mami was taught to crochet by her sister and together they would make blankets and other baby items to support their family. As a child, I was fortunate to learn from Mami how to crochet as she taught me with lots of motherly love and patience the many details that go into making baby items. During our time, as we worked on many projects, Mami would share stories of her youth growing up in Puerto Rico (PR) where she was born, raised and lived most of her 83 years.
During last year’s NAM convention, we had a successful event and many Maronites were pleasantly surprised and eager to support the Mission Angelitos (Spanish for little angels) as we have named the fundraiser.
When hurricane Maria struck PR on September 20, 2017, the entire island was devastated. I quickly decided to get my mom, my aunt and brother out of the island as soon as possible as the conditions where extremely difficult to sustain life. During those harrowing days and weeks, the Sisters would call and offer prayerful support. Their loving words of encouragement kept my sanity. It took three weeks of intense work and many setbacks to finally get Mami out, only to see that the living conditions after hurricane Maria had affected her health and her mental and physical state were precarious.
The months following the hurricane were extremely difficult for all Puerto Ricans and many lives have been forever changed. Having brought Mami and my aunt to Georgia was a miracle to which I give thanks to God. However, I honestly was not prepared for the aftermath in dealing with the difficult and demanding challenges of Mami’s mid-stage Alzheimer’s condition. I thank God for my Aunt Aurea who cares for Mami so I can continue to work. I am also very grateful for the constant prayers of our Sisters that have continued to sustain me as I find little time and energy to pray myself.
The inability to go home to PR in combination with her Alzheimer’s condition has caused a lot of frustration, anger and sadness for Mami which in turn affects her physical wellbeing. I was inspired to ask Mami if she would like to crochet baby items for our Sisters. Crocheting gives Mami a sense of purpose for her life. I was surprised to find out from Mami’s nurse practitioner that crocheting is an important therapy for people who suffer from Alzheimer’s. The repetitive nature of crocheting helps to: improve memory, reduce anxiety, build self- esteem, relieves depression and is used as part of a prayer process.
We now spend our days buying material and making many baby blankets for Mission Angelitos. Each blanket we make is our way of praying for your families and at the same time, helping our Sisters. It is a mission of life and a circle of love.