Made with love

NORTH HALEDON  With New York City’s five boroughs, only miles away from the Paterson Diocese, now the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, there has been a dire need for personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves and gowns in hospitals in the area.

Concerned for the safety of essential workers at these hospitals, a group of Salesian Sisters took to their sewing machines and have been working diligently to make masks. As of last week so far, about 100 masks have been made and the sisters have no intention of stopping as long as they are needed. The masks that were already made were sent to two local hospitals — St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Paterson and St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital in Wayne.

Salesian Sister Teresa Gutierrez, house superior, saw there was a need for personal protective equipment especially for masks and learned it was possible for those with sewing skills to create them. The sisters came together for this important project and have been at work filling the sounds of the motherhouse with the whirling stitches of the sewing machines. They gathered materials in every pattern at hand and formed them into double and triple layer masks. From simple patterns found online to more complex fitted face masks, each sister at work gave the masks her personal touch.

Salesian Sister Rufina Delgado said, “Making the masks has been a way for us to contribute to the needs of the nurses and doctors who are working so hard to save lives. We are praying for everyone to be safe and healthy and for those who are sick to heal quickly. The masks are a way to symbolize our prayers for them.”

For those interested in making masks, there are several resources online to make masks. The fabric masks are especially ideal for other settings besides hospitals in which essential workers are still at risk and in the public. Diocesan Catholic Charities for example is asking for personal protective equipment.

Due to the shortages of personal protective equipment, the U.S. Conference of Bishops issued a statement on rationing protocols by health care professionals in response to COVID-19. In the statement, the USCCB said, “Hospitals and health care systems are the true epicenter of this pandemic and our healthcare professionals — doctors, nurses, technicians, administrators and support staff — have all demonstrated courage, compassion and truly remarkable professional care in a time of growing crisis. This pandemic has highlighted the fact that we have limited resources and therefore may be facing some difficult decisions ahead. At times, resources are limited — there are only so many beds and so many supplies but this crisis has and will continue to challenge us greatly.”

In addition to making masks, the community of sisters has dedicated themselves to two hours of daily Eucharistic Adoration in response to Pope Francis’ invitation to pray from home.

Salesian Sister Brittany Harrison, social media coordinator of the SEC province, said, “The sisters see it as a way of being in solidarity with the parishioners and pastors of the local churches where they’ve built relationships over the years.”