Pastoral Care & Support
Our Pastoral Care and Support Ministries extend Christ’s compassion to those experiencing loss, hardship, or loneliness. Whether through comforting a grieving heart, offering food and gifts during difficult seasons, or surrounding someone in need with prayerful support, these ministries are a tangible expression of God’s love. United in prayer, care, and creativity, members offer gentle strength—untying the knots of life’s burdens and wrapping others in warmth and grace. Each gesture, from a whispered prayer to a lovingly made shawl, reminds others they are seen, valued, and never alone.
Bereavement Support Groups
A bereavement support group for anyone who is mourning the death of a loved one meets once a week for eight consecutive weeks. If you are interested in attending, need more information or know of someone who might benefit from participating in the support group, please contact St. Edward’s at 518 371-7372 ext. 224 to find out when the next session begins.
The goal of the group is aimed at moving the participants closer to reconciling their grief while opening themselves to the mystery of grief, perhaps discovering a newly defined “why” for their own life.
The goals of the support group are to help you:
- Deal with the reality of your loss
- Understand the normal grief reaction
- Move through grief at your own pace
- Be able to build a satisfying new life
- Treasure your memories while building new traditions
- Renew your resources for living
- Acknowledge and understand your losses
- Be able to adjust your life without your loved one
- Learn to appreciate the fact that you are alive and can develop in a new direction
Nothing that is shared in the group leaves the group. The conversations are confidential. This is a safe place to share your thoughts and feelings without fear of repercussion or worry about family pressure. All expressed feelings are acceptable yet not coerced. It is totally about giving yourself permission to grieve in your own way.
Contact:
Mary Ann Sekellick
Phone: (518) 371-7372 ext 224
Email: maryann.sekellick@stedwardsny.org
Christmas Gifts for Families in Need
Volunteers are needed to assist with the organization of gifts to meet the needs of families from the St. John/ St. Ann parish in Albany and in the Clifton Park area to ensure that everyone receives a gift for the holidays.
Contact:
Maureen O'Toole & Val Cairo
Phone: (518) 265-7640
Christmas Gifts for the Elderly
The parishioners of St. Edwards remember the elderly of Saratoga County at Christmas. Assistance is needed during November and December to arrange for the implementation of securing of individual gifts donated by parishioners and then wrapping the gifts for giving. This ministry involves about 4 weeks of planning prior to Christmas. Each year we receive about 200 requests!
Contact:
Nancy Marsh (518) 383-3244
Ann Wertalik (518) 383-2618
Food Pantry
Our parish community provides food, paper products, cleaning supplies and personal grooming products on an ongoing weekly basis to be distributed to neighboring food pantries. Volunteers collect these donations from the Church and deliver them weekly on a rotating basis.
Contact:
Carolyn Machina
Phone: 518-928-3594
Email: carolyn.machina@gmail.com
Home Visits & Medical Facility Visitation
We have many parishioners that are homebound, in nursing homes and in hospitals that would welcome a visit and to receive communion during their time of illness or infirmity. Local hospitals and nursing homes are visited on a regular (Beacon Point and Schuyler Ridge) and on an on call basis. Training is provided.
Contact:
Mary Ann Sekellick
Phone: (518) 371-7372 ext 224
Email: maryann.sekellick@stedwardsny.org
Mary's Ladies of Knots
Bereavement Support Groups
A bereavement support group for anyone who is mourning the death of a loved one meets once a week for eight consecutive weeks. If you are interested in attending, need more information or know of someone who might benefit from participating in the support group, please contact St. Edward’s at 518 371-7372 ext. 224 to find out when the next session begins.
The goal of the group is aimed at moving the participants closer to reconciling their grief while opening themselves to the mystery of grief, perhaps discovering a newly defined “why” for their own life.
The goals of the support group are to help you:
Deal with the reality of your loss
Understand the normal grief reaction
Move through grief at your own pace
Be able to build a satisfying new life
Treasure your memories while building new traditions
Renew your resources for living
Acknowledge and understand your losses
Be able to adjust your life without your loved one
Learn to appreciate the fact that you are alive and can develop in a new direction
Nothing that is shared in the group leaves the group. The conversations are confidential. This is a safe place to share your thoughts and feelings without fear of repercussion or worry about family pressure. All expressed feelings are acceptable yet not coerced. It is totally about giving yourself permission to grieve in your own way.
Contact:
Mary Ann Sekellick
Phone: (518) 371-7372 ext 224
Email: maryann.sekellick@stedwardsny.org
Christmas Gifts for Families in Need
Volunteers are needed to assist with the organization of gifts to meet the needs of families from the St. John/ St. Ann parish in Albany and in the Clifton Park area to ensure that everyone receives a gift for the holidays.
Contact:
Maureen O'Toole & Val Cairo
Phone: (518) 265-7640
Christmas Gifts for the Elderly
The parishioners of St. Edwards remember the elderly of Saratoga County at Christmas. Assistance is needed during November and December to arrange for the implementation of securing of individual gifts donated by parishioners and then wrapping the gifts for giving. This ministry involves about 4 weeks of planning prior to Christmas. Each year we receive about 200 requests!
Contact:
Nancy Marsh (518) 383-3244
Ann Wertalik (518) 383-2618
Food Pantry
Our parish community provides food, paper products, cleaning supplies and personal grooming products on an ongoing weekly basis to be distributed to neighboring food pantries. Volunteers collect these donations from the Church and deliver them weekly on a rotating basis.
Contact:
Carolyn Machina
Phone: 518-928-3594
Email: carolyn.machina@gmail.com
Home Visits & Medical Facility Visitation
We have many parishioners that are homebound, in nursing homes and in hospitals that would welcome a visit and to receive communion during their time of illness or infirmity. Local hospitals and nursing homes are visited on a regular (Beacon Point and Schuyler Ridge) and on an on call basis. Training is provided.
Contact:
Mary Ann Sekellick
Phone: (518) 371-7372 ext 224
Email: maryann.sekellick@stedwardsny.org
Mary's Ladies of Knots
Mary’s Ladies of the Knots is a service ministry which brings women together to foster prayerful devotion to “Mary the Undoer of Knots.” Our goal is to provide friendship and spiritual support to each other as we join in prayer to our Blessed Mother and together create and gift knotted fleece quilts. The completed quilts are distributed to multiple organizations in our community who serve those that face “knots” in their life. Our hope is that the gifted quilt will bring physical warmth and comfort and the knots will serve as a reminder that we can turn to our Blessed Mother for grace to show us the way during any difficulty we face.
This ministry meets as a group once a month on the second Thursday of the month in the Social Hall. Each meeting includes a time for prayer and time to cut and knot the quilts to prepare them for distribution. We will provide instruction at the meetings however no sewing skills are needed, just the ability to tie a knot. If you are not able to attend the monthly meetings but would like to participate in this ministry, quilts can be completed at home.
Contact:
Joanne DeNovio
Email: denovioj@yahoo.com
Prayer Chain
Privately prays for parish & parishioner needs. No meetings are held as prayer intentions are communicated through telephone contact. Click here to request to be added to our prayer chain.
Contact:
Deanna Clarke
Phone: (518) 371-7956
Pat Phelan
Phone: 518-877-7259
Prayer Shawls
Prayer shawls have been made for centuries. They are universal and embracing, symbolic of an inclusive, unconditionally loving, God. They wrap, enfold, comfort, cover, give solace, warmth & beautify. Our Prayer Shawl Ministry at St. Edwards is broader than Shawls as we also make Binky Caps, Crib Blankets, and Bunting. Articles are knitted, crocheted, quilted & loomed. They are given to adults and children that are in need of prayer because of health or other circumstance. If you are interested in joining this group and knit, crochet or quilt, please come! We gather the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 1:00 pm. Patterns are available and donations of yarn are greatly appreciated. If you, or someone you know, would find comfort in the gift and meaning behind the prayer shawl please contact the Pastoral care office at 371-7372 ext 224.
Contact:
Mary Ann Johnson
Phone: (518) 371-0122