Covered in Prayer
at the hour of our death:

by Julie Conrey

Gaye Asbill received a prayer blanket from a good friend when she was diagnosed with cancer. Now she makes blankets to comfort the sick in her parish.

Shortly before the birth of our fourth child, Doris Selvage, a woman with whom my husband Kevin worked with in Nashville, Tenn., gave us a hand-knit blanket for the baby. It was the color of snow. When we, very gently, lifted it from the crinkly red tissue paper in which Doris had packaged it, the blanket was so soft it fell into our hands.

A few weeks later, on a hot, humid, July day in 1998, we wrapped our newborn baby girl in it and took her home. Mariah, as we named her, was, no pun intended, hooked on it.

During the next several years, she and her blanket were inseparable. Highlights of the relationship include my father rescuing it from an ocean swell on a family vacation in Orange Beach, Ala., me shaking small lizards, fire ants and sand out of it after a play date, and our family driving panic-stricken an hour out of our way to fetch it from underneath a mountain of covers in a hotel room somewhere between South Florida and the Indiana state line.

Mariah’s relationship with her most prized possession is similar to what about 200 individuals are experiencing after having been touched by the newly-formed Prayer Blanket Ministry at Blessed Trinity Parish in Jacksonville. And they have Gaye Asbill to thank for it.

Gaye is the volunteer coordinator of her parish’s blanket ministry. It is a labor of love that is catching on in the Diocese of Saint Augustine – one parish at a time.

According to Gaye, Prince of Peace Parish in Houston, Texas launched the first Prayer Blanket Ministry in 1998. At Blessed Trinity, volunteers come together to make the blankets out of whatever material that’s available to them.

“We do solid fabrics, we do prints, it’s whatever fabric is on sale – the luck of the draw,” Gaye said. It takes about 30 minutes to make a blanket, and they are stitched together by about three regular volunteers who help Gaye on a weekly basis. But the blankets include something that is different from other similar ministries throughout the country. Enclosed with each 36 inch by 60 inch piece of fabric is a pocket for a rosary, a pamphlet on how to pray the rosary, a healing prayer and a brochure that explains what the blanket ministry is all about.

Once made, the blankets are taken to the church where they are placed by the altar. The blankets soak up the prayers of the faith community in a special blessing that occurs at the end of Mass. The power of intercessory prayer is enormous, said Gaye. “I can’t tell you how many people have said how good this is.”

Father Alan Bower, pastor of Blessed Trinity Parish, would agree with Gaye. When he was approached earlier this year about starting the ministry in the parish, he said he was intrigued by the idea. “It’s taken on a life of its own,” Father Alan said. “It has exceeded my wildest expectations.” Since February, Father Alan said there’s been maybe one weekend where blankets haven’t been blessed during Mass. “The parish is very responsive. All extend their hands for their own healing and comfort in Christ,” he said.

And although he can’t declare on behalf of the church that the blankets perform miracles, he said some blanket recipients have experienced ‘noteworthy’ healings. “We’ve received some interesting letters,” he said. “Certainly wondrous things have taken place, and our people have a greater sense of connectedness.”

Roy Provost received a blanket from Blessed Trinity. He’s struggled with several health challenges throughout his life, and when approached about taking a blanket, he was somewhat doubtful about its power to help heal. After receiving his blanket, he wrote to Gene Ruschell, coordinator of the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Blessed Trinity, under which the prayer blanket ministry falls.

“I want to thank you for the prayer blanket,” the letter read. Roy explained that he had a bad left knee that doctors said needed to be replaced. He experienced pain in his knee for about 10 years and had difficulty walking up stairs.

“When my wife brought this blanket from the car and gave it to me I put it on me from my chest to my feet. Almost at once my left knee started to burn, it got so hot I thought it was on fire,” said Roy. “I have not had pain in that knee since. I can walk up stairs without holding on to a railing something I have not been able to do in a long time. It may be coincidental, but I don’t think so.”

Laura Morris’ husband George was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, and has begun a grueling round of chemotherapy treatments. He was given a blanket at Blessed Trinity. “He was just thrilled to receive it,” Laura said. He insists the blanket stay with him when he naps. “He feels the warmth and love every time (he sleeps).” It also goes with him when he receives chemotherapy treatments. “So far he’s feeling great and doing good,” Laura said. She adds that the blanket ministry has turned out to be a wonderful blessing for the parish.

Gaye Asbill shared her own story about the blanket she received from her friend Annie Coverdale, a member of St. Oliver Parish in Snellville, Ga. When Gaye moved to Jacksonville in 2003, she became seriously ill. Gaye was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an aggressive cancer that was challenging to manage. As the disease progressed her mobility was severely limited. In constant pain and drained of all her energy, Gaye said she spent most of her time in her recliner sleeping.

When she received her blanket from Annie in the mail, her son helped her open the package. “I pulled this bundle of fleece out of the bag and held it in my hands for a moment,” Gaye remembers. “It immediately began to feel warm to my hand. I thought wow and spread it over myself from my toes to my shoulders. As I sat there I began to experience a peace and contentment that I had not felt in weeks,” she said. “It was like being held in a huge hug by someone who really loved me. I knew that what I was feeling was the physical reality of all those prayers for my benefit and they were working.”

Gaye said she made a promise to God. The hard-charging career woman who was no longer able to work for a living said she would do whatever volunteer work she could do to help others. Her remission lasted two years, and sadly the cancer is galloping around again in her body, she said, adding the blanket ministry helps keep her focused on getting better. “I am back in treatment, it keeps me functioning. I have my ups and downs,” she said but Gaye continues to make blankets for anyone who wants to feel covered in prayer.

“This is kind of a sacramental like blessed palms or the ashes of Ash Wednesday,” said Father Alan. “Here is something tangible in the form of a blanket. It’s almost like a return to infancy and it has a soothing effect, both spiritually and psychologically,” he said.

I think Mariah would testify to that. Our family was transferred to St. Louis from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. in June. Our whirling dervish of an eight-year old, who despises math and loves soccer, has misplaced her best friend. If anyone finding a gray, torn knit-like blanket that smells like saliva and chlorine please contact me at ckcjsc@aol.com!
 

The Caring Warmth of Prayer Blankets The following parishes in the Diocese of Saint Augustine offer a Prayer Blanket Ministry or similar ministry. Contact them if you would like to launch a ministry in your parish or if you or someone you know is in need of special healing prayers. Holy Faith Parish – Gainesville Contact: Gina Giovinco (352) 376-5405 Sacred Heart Parish – Green Cove Springs Contact: Norma Hawkinson (904) 284-4432 Blessed Trinity Parish – Jacksonville Contact: Parish Office (904) 641-1414 St. Matthew Parish – Jacksonville Contact: Annie McCraney (904) 389-9221 Sacred Heart Parish – Jacksonville Contact: Roy Provost (904) 771-5503 San Juan del Rio Parish – Jacksonville Contact: Sandy Shurr (904) 304-6324 Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish – Ponte Vedra Beach Contact: Kimberly Enos (904) 285-2698 St. Anastasia Parish – St. Augustine Contact: Dolores Smith (904) 461-0113