Blankets for grieving families

HALEDON  Although the pandemic has kept the retired Salesian sisters of the Provincial House here indoors and away from in-person ministry, it has been unable to limit their creativity and desire to help others.

After seeing a news segment on the television about a young Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse, Alexandra Marcello, and the program she started to help families who lost a loved one to COVID-19, the sisters knew they wanted to get involved.

“I SEE U Blankets,” a play on the name of the ICU unit in the hospital, provides a custom sympathy bag that includes a handmade blanket, memorial candle, flower seeds, and even (when possible) the framed fingerprints and heartbeat of the loved one who passed. Asked why she felt inspired to start this program, Marcello said, “It’s a response to the minimal family visiting hours allowed for patients since the pandemic started. We decided to send sympathy bags to the families who lost loved ones to COVID-19 as our way of acknowledging and respecting their grief.” Reflecting on the darkness she has experienced since the start of the pandemic, Marcello added, “I try to find the light in every dark day. I realized that if we are struggling to find the light, we need to be the light and do something good for a stranger. Changing the world starts from within.”

When the Salesian sisters saw the news segment about her program, the community superior, Sister Helene Godin, knew that the sisters would love to get involved. Joann Fabrics donated the materials, and under the guidance of house blanket expert, Sister Rufina Delgado, the sisters assembled 15 blankets over the course of a few days.

Marcello brought her grandmother — who was thrilled to meet the sisters — with her to pick up the blankets. A socially distanced visit revealed a great unity of hearts between Marcello and the sisters, and a shared common mission to bring love and light into the darkness of the world.

When asked what she thought of being part of a program that touches families in one of their most vulnerable moments, one of the elderly sisters shared, “It’s an honor to offer our time and talent to make a comfort blanket for those experiencing such a devastating loss. We cannot be there to hug each person, although we wish we could, but at least through these blankets and the opportunity provided by Alexandra’s program, ‘I See U Blankets,’ we can be present to them in some small way.”

The sisters prayed for each person who would receive the blankets they made and had them blessed before they turned them over to Marcello to distribute through her program. As needed, they will contribute more blankets and time.