ANTIGONISH, N.S. — A caring presentation was earlier this month which involved a quilt created in 2017 to celebrate an anniversary in 2020.
“In the run up to the centennial celebrations of the Catholic Women’s League (CWL) of Canada in 2020, St. Ninian’s CWL council embarked on a project for hospice via the ‘Quilt of Life,’ as they called it,” a poster regarding the project read.
On April 4, the quilt was officially presented to the palliative care unit at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital. The unit opened last June.
St. Ninian’s CWL council president Yvette deSouza-Muise designed and executed the quilt with the assistance of 24 ladies who “appliqued the 32 squares surrounding a central block.”
“In designing the quilt, Yvette chose four motifs which were repeated, and the colours red, green, blue, yellow and white were selected. Each motif and colour would have a meaning of special significance,” the poster further reads.
The four motifs are; the heart, the dove, the rose and the butterfly.
“We answered a request from the National CWL for lap-quilts for hospice; Dr. Phillip Cooper directed us to make a single quilt for the hospital,” deSouza-Muise wrote in a note provided to the Casket.
“This was indeed a labour of love by the CWL Women of St. Ninian’s. We are truly honoured.”
“The palliative care team and [Antigonish Town and County Palliative Care] Society gratefully acknowledge this gift of love which affirms the homely atmosphere of the unit and will provide comfort and inspiration to patients and families for many years to come,” Cooper said, following the presentation of the quilt.
