The UUCW Nugget
June 3, 2015

 

Office Hours

(Sept 2, 2014 - 

June 25, 2015):

Mon, Tues, Wed: 

9 am - 3 pm

Thursday 9 am - 2 pm

 

Congregational Mission Statement
"The members and friends of the Unitarian Universalist 

Church of Worcester covenant to be a congregation of love, hope and justice inspiring people to take on the challenges of a changing world."

  
Welcoming Church 
Mission Statement 

The LGBTQI and Allies of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester strives to further the affirmation and celebration of LGBTQI individuals in all aspects of the church community. We also seek to increase the visibility of UUCW as a Welcoming Congregation within the greater community.
 
Prayer, Square, Circle, Love
Robin Caracciolo, Director of Religious Education

 

You are probably familiar with the whole concept of a "Prayer Shawl". I know of many churches who have knitting ministries who produce these handmade works of comfort for people in their congregations who have lost a loved one, or are recovering from an illness, or going through a difficult time. Our own UUCW has a small but mighty group of people who knit prayer shawls. I have had the opportunity to knit one myself for this group. For me, it was a meditative process, moving the yarn from needle to needle; building it into a larger piece of work.. As I worked, I would focus on the person who the piece was intended for. I would visualize passing my healing and loving thoughts: my prayers, into the fibers. 


One day last summer, I happened upon a couple of skeins of yarn in a consignment shop. The yarn was "delicious"... soft, silky, squishy, rainbow colored, puffy, a tactile dream on my fingertips. I thought...wow, this would be the sort of thing a child would love to run their little fingers along as they tried to settle down to sleep. How soft, how comforting. I had a great idea!! I began knitting small "prayer squares" to give to children and teens that I ran across who may need a little, soft , squishy, colorful comfort to hold on to. Again I found my own comfort as I knit these small "prayer squares"...imagining them inside a child's backpack, or teen's handbag...a token of my wish for well-being and peace and love.



Last night, I brought my knitting to the Interfaith Hospitality Network Shelter (IHN). I was hosting evening dinner and covering the overnight. There were quite a number of children there, so I also brought some other activities with me...pipe cleaners and tissue paper to make paper flowers, scratch pads and colored paper, coloring sheets, and colored pencils. As the children colored and made twisty circles and shapes with the pipe cleaners, I began to work on a "Prayer Square". The children were drawn to the white fluffy yarn with bright specs of color. They took turns squeezing the skein; they rubbed it to their little faces and cooed.

"Can I have this ball of yarn??" one child asked. I explained that I needed all that yarn to make "Prayer Squares". Everyone wanted to know what a "Prayer Square" was. I explained that as I knit, I put my energy of love and good thoughts "into" the yarn and I give it to a person who may be sad, or not feeling well. I said that my hope is that the person who has the "Prayer Square" will touch it when they need to feel better, and maybe they will remember that I care about them and hold them with love in my thoughts.
Joey, a twelve year old, said "I need to have a Prayer Square because I have some problems in my family." I looked at him, and nodded. He continued. "My aunt had to have her appendix out because it got too big."

Noah was interested in having one too. This 8 year old, however, was even more interested in making circles with the multicolored pipe cleaners I brought. He put a small circle on my finger and said it was a ring ...kind of like the ring already on my finger, but not as tall. I told him that I loved the ring he made for me...but he took it back and said "I am going to make it taller. "

Little by little, Noah brought me "rings" each built with more and more circles, each one taller and taller until my hand was full of his creations.

 


 


He then made one final circle...
small and red, and put it on his own finger.

Soon it was bedtime; I had completed one "Prayer Square" and gave it to Joey in honor of his aunt who had the appendectomy. He rubbed it on his cheek and said "ooooh.". The other children looked at me...I said, "Don't worry, if you need one, I'll make you one". Noah, the ring-maker, said ..."I need one, but it's going to have to be a little bigger than Joey's... because I need more prayers." I nodded.

The parents were calling their children to their rooms for bed...the kids came over to say goodnight and to give hugs. Noah hugged me and I said, "Thanks again for my rings!" Noah said "Just remember..." and pointed to his own red circle ring on his finger. "All those rings on your hand are attached to mine and filled with love."

I think Noah understands the concept of a prayer.


 

Peaceful Prayers,

Robin Caracciolo 
 

 

Summer Services Are Here Again! 

 

Summer Services begin at UUCW on Sunday, June 28 and run through Sunday, September 6.  These 11 special services offer an opportunity for members and friends of UUCW to worship in an informal atmosphere in the lounge.  We are currently looking for members and friends who are interested in leading one of our Summer Sunday Worship Services and those interested in assisting in setting up the space and working with service presenters to make this experience excellent for all who participate.  If you are interested in presenting a service, assistance is available in forming the service.  A general template for the order of service is available or you can do your own thing.

 

Interested in presenting a service or assisting? Please sign up HERE or speak to Aaron ASAP.

 
Contact Information

Phone:

508-853-1942

Email:

office@uucworcester.org

Fax:

508-853-4188

Website:

www.uucworcester.org

 

Emergency Phone:

800-859-6404

UUCW Facebook

UUCW Twitter