“It’s one of the saddest things you can think of,” Irene Martin of Plains Township said, reflecting on the loss of a premature or stillborn baby.

Grieving parents “have to say ‘hello’ and ‘good-bye’ at the same time,” said Mary Jo Marek, also of Plains Township.

As members of the Women’s Society at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Plains, and the society’s Prayer Shawl Ministry, Marek and Martin want to show bereaved parents — most likely people they will never meet — that they care.

They found a way to do that after Marek was introduced to Colleen Angel, who lived in Fairview Township before moving to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.

Angel, a one-time LCCC instructor known in some circles as “Grandma Angel,” established a non-profit foundation called Tiny Angel Gowns in 2008. Inspired at first by her cousin’s loss of a baby, she has made thousands of tiny outfits, some no bigger than an adult’s hand, and sent them to hospitals around the country.

Now the Prayer Shawl Ministry from Saints Peter and Paul has branched out to crochet tiny baby hats, which Marek sends to Angel at her new home in Arkansas.

“Right now we try to send out 100 to 200 a month,” Marek said, explaining that the crafters recently resumed getting together on Mondays at the parish center to crochet as a masked, socially distant group. They also continue to crochet on their own at home.

“It would be fantastic” if more volunteers wanted to help, she said, adding anyone who is interested is welcome to contact her at 570-825-6969.

Meanwhile, if you check Colleen Angel’s Facebook Page, tinyangelgowns, you’ll see she recently passed the 60,500 mark for outfits donated to hospitals.

During an interview with the Times Leader several years ago, Angel explained that generous people were donating their wedding gowns to her, and that she was able to use the material to make many tiny gowns from each adult-size dress.

She’s still receiving such donations, and her Facebook page is filled with thank-you messages, sometimes telling a bride that her wedding dress was transformed into 80 tiny gowns, or maybe 130 tiny gowns.

“I am so blessed to have friends all over the country who help support Tiny Angel Gowns and allow me to keep making and giving these gowns to hospitals. Huge heart-felt thank you for helping me continue this mission,” Angel recently posted.

Angel, who has returned to making the gowns after switching to face masks earlier this year, has thanked friends for specific tasks, such as “helping to cut apart all of these beaded medallions,” or “sending these ribbons; she must have known that my boy ribbon stash was getting really low.”

In one particularly touching post, Angel thanked a woman named Amanda for donating the wedding dress worn by her cousin April, who passed away a year after she got married.

“April was an organ donor with a huge heart for helping others,” Angel wrote. “The Angel Gowns made from her wedding dress will continue to do just that.”

Angel sends the outfits to some 150 hospitals, and among the grateful letters she has received in return is this message from the coordinator of a Perinatal Loss Program in Chicago:

“I continue to remain in such awe of the beauty, craftsmanship and delicacy of the lovely hand-made outfits that you have created and sewn,” Susan Rizzato wrote. “Most especially touching to me are your tiniest gowns, as even our smallest little ones will have precious gowns to be clothed in.

“We are so very honored to be able to offer your special outfits to these couples and families that experience the loss of their babies here at Northwestern Prentice Women’s Hospital. So very often these families are not prepared with that special outfit and covering for their baby to wear and are so very comforted to have these at such a devastating time.”

Martin said members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry are glad to help Angel’s effort, and they also still make prayer shawls, including “pocket prayer shawls” that are small enough to carry in a pocket. She knows first-hand what it’s like to receive a gift from the group. “They gave me a prayer shawl when I got my new knees,” she said. “It felt like you could wrap yourself up in knowing someone cares.”