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November 2010
Our ministry formally began when we learned from our
Principal, Mrs. Marge McDonald, and our Art Teacher, Mrs.
Lori Oleasz, that Sister Loretta Francis Mann, a Sister of
Saint Francis and past Assistant Superintendent of Catholic
Schools for the Archdiocese of Hartford, was coming to visit
our school this year. Sister had visited our school before,
in 2008, the year of her retirement from working in the
Archdiocese. As we recall, Sister told us she was excited
for the possibilities that her retirement would hold and to
share her gifts in various ways with others. And that, she
has! The purpose for her visit with us this past November
was to share the story and a power point presentation of her
mission trip to Haiti this past summer.
Several months prior to Sister’s mission trip, we learned
that Haiti suffered a massive earthquake, leaving much
destruction and loss of life behind and that many children
there were orphaned and homeless. Knowing that Sister
Loretta has plans to return to Haiti in February 2011, we
wished to reach out to the children there, through her, and
decided to form this new ministry at our school. It is
called A Cuddle and a Prayer Blankie Ministry ™.
Through our ministry and the labor of our hands we create
small fleece “blankies” (miniature blankets perfect for
cuddling) to be distributed to children in need. It is our
hope and prayer that these children will be comforted by the
softness of our blankies, find joy in the bright, cheerful
colors of the fabric, and know that we and God love them and
that they will be lifted high in our prayers.
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