AVON, Minn. -- Al Ernst's holding crosses give comfort to those not long for this Earth, but for those who have received his handcrafted crosses, it can make a world of difference in the end.
The 56-year-old from Avon makes the crosses with his wife Cyndi's help and gives the crosses to patients.
"A holding cross or comfort cross is a small cross that can be held in the hand comfortably for long periods of time," he said of the asymmetrical crosses with ergonomic curves and grooves.
Jane Scegura's mother died Oct. 27 at age 94 because of abdominal bleeding. She was given one of Ernst's holding crosses before she passed away and was buried with it in her hands.
"She just thought it was very comforting -- holding it -- and that when hospice came, she would always hold the cross when they prayed together," Scegura said of her mother, Alvina Meier.
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It takes Ernst about 20 minutes to carve a cross from a single piece of domestic hardwood. He uses a pattern he was given by an acquaintance whose wife works in hospice care and saw a need.
"There are several different names for them; they could be called 'holding crosses,' 'comfort crosses' and I've even heard some people call them 'clinging crosses,' " said Ernst, a locksmith who also does scrollwork as a hobby.
The crosses are about five-eighths of an inch thick, and almost 4 inches long and 2½ inches wide.
"I probably have another 30, 35 in reserve, so when hospice calls, I'm ready for them," Ernst said. He has donated some of the crosses to his church, Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Albany.
"I do the cutting and the roughing out. My wife does the final sanding and the quality control. If they're not good, she gives them back to me, and I have to redo them," he said.
Ernst uses woods such as oak, black ash and maple to avoid potential allergic reactions in those who may receive his crosses.
Faith played an important part in her late mother's life, said Scegura, a 55-year-old wife and mother from Avon who owns a home-based insurance agency with her husband.
Meier was diagnosed with heart failure and her heart kept getting weaker and weaker, said Scegura.
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"She had resigned herself to the fact that it was coming to the end ... and she didn't try to fight it, I don't think," Scegura said. "And when she held that cross, it helped her to pray."
Sue Toenyan knows the difference the crosses can make in the lives of the terminally ill.
"In a time of struggle or loss, you look for guidance," Toenyan said.
The home health aide and hospice volunteer from Melrose gave the comfort cross to Meier.
"I thought this would really be nice to be able to give someone who needs just that little bit of hope or that little bit of solace as they are going through hospice," Ernst said.
Meier used to pray out of her prayer book every day but was unable to do that when her health declined, according to Toenyan.
"If I can do anything to help them in their faith -- that there is a God, that they will be taken care of after they leave this Earth -- I will," Ernst said of his crosses.
