Quilters welcome the newly-baptized

By LORI BERGLUND
Special to Lumen Media

Nothing is more warm and welcoming than a comfy quilt, especially when it is hand-made by volunteers of your faith community and presented on the very day of your entry into the faith.

At Remsen’s St. Mary’s Church, a small group of quilters has been busy this past year, cutting, piecing, and sewing to create one-of-a-kind quilts to be given to babies on the day of their baptism.

“We are always looking for ways to offer hospitality, to be more welcoming,” said Father Tim Pick, pastor at St. Mary’s. “You can always buy a gift, but to give something that is hand-made by a parish member is so welcoming. It reinforces the concept that we are a family, a family of worshipers.”
Bottjen and Father Pick with a quilt by the baptismal font.In baptism, sin is washed away, grace is bestowed, and the newly baptized becomes a true child of God.

“This is like another birthday,” Father Pick said. “We are given the grace to live our faith. The soul is made pure white, and what’s why we wear the white garment of baptism.”

Pick serves as pastor at both Remsen St. Mary’s and Holy Name Catholic Church in Marcus. It was a small group of quilters who had long been making quilts as baptismal gifts at Holy Name that inspired him to recruit some quilting volunteers at Remsen. He called Pat Bottjen, a retired music teacher who also serves as church organist, and she took it from there.

Bottjen is relatively new to the long-time American tradition of quilt-making, but when she takes on a project, she gives it her all.

“I started quilting just before Covid,” she said. “I had never quilted before that. I’ve become a very good quilter, more of a competitive quilter now.”

To Bottjen, it seems as if the hand of God had perhaps been guiding her to the art of quilt-making for this very purpose.

“God put me where I am just so I can do this,” she said.

Her first step was to seek out other volunteers as the kingdom of God is like that, no one walks this way alone. Together, these quilting volunteers have christened themselves the ‘Child of God Quilters,’ — for they are children of God themselves, quilting to welcome the newest members to God’s holy family.
Carol Ritz puts finishing touches on a quilt.Some of them were already quilters, others had some sewing experience and then learned to piece the quilts. Bottjen and another volunteer do the actual quilting.

Each quilt is designed by the person who pieces it. The themes are as varied as the women who sew them. Some have religious themes, others have teddy bears, giraffes or geometric shapes of every color.

In less than a year, the Child of God Quilters have created about 40 quilts, with perhaps a dozen already presented to newly-baptized babies and their families. Bottjen keeps a rack of approximately 25 quilts at the parish for parents to choose from.

“We have a nice large selection for them to go through,” she said.

It’s often the father who makes the final decision, and older siblings have also been known to make their recommendations. Moms do what moms do — make sure everyone else is happy.

While Bottjen has only been on hand personally for one quilt presentation, she hears many kind words throughout the parish.

“It’s been really gratifying, they really seem to enjoy the process,” Bottjen said. “We hear so many thank-yous from the grandparents. The grandparents always seem so thrilled.”

She estimated that each volunteer puts at least 20 hours into the making of a single quilt, and that doesn’t count the time of designing the quilt and gathering all the needed fabric. Thankfully, most quilters readily share fabric, as well as ideas.
“Most quilters have a lot of fabric,” Bottjen said. “We’re kind of fabric hoarders.”

She organized a fundraiser early on to purchase basic supplies, such as batting and backing.

Many of the quilts can be used as a wall hanging, but they are also designed to be used for warmth and “tummy time” on the floor. Some of the quilts feature a “minky” backing that stays put and doesn’t slide on the wood and tile floors that are popular in today’s homes. All of them are designed to be unique and to become family heirlooms.

“Our quilters are doing beautiful work,” Bottjen said. “We always want to think of it, not as a donation, but as something we are giving to family, our parish family,” she added. “Each quilt is something that I would be proud to give to my own child. They make me smile, they give joy.”

The quilts all come with care instructions, as well as a hand-made, embroidered label stating who made it and identifying it as part of the Child of God ministry of St. Mary’s Parish.

For Bottjen she hopes the quilts will become treasured keepsakes, reminding this person that he or she was loved and welcomed by the parish as forever a Child of God through the once-in-lifetime sacrament of baptism.

Cover photo: Jo Tentinger with a teddy bear quilt.
            
Editor’s note: Bottjen is very well versed on quilting, as both an art form and as a parish ministry. She offered that if other parishes would like to start their own volunteer quilters, she would be pleased to offer her guidance. She can be contacted through the parish office at Remsen’s St. Mary’s at (712) 786-1437 or by email at [email protected].

Berglund is a freelance writer based in Dayton. She is a member of Holy Trinity Parish in Webster County.

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