Holy Stitchers Ministry: Sharing Talents to Create Beautifully Detailed Work
With every stitch, the members of the Holy Stitchers Ministry create beautifully detailed work crafting the garments for the newly baptized babies of the parish.
“We have so many young members in our parish!” says Kaye Ellis, who serves as the group’s administrator. “We have never kept track of how many garments we have made, but they keep us plenty busy!”
Kaye makes sure that everyone has the supplies that they need to do the work. Through donations of embroidery floss and cotton fabric, they are able to provide the materials for the group. Some will do the cutting out, others will sew the finished hem around the edges, and others will do the embroidery details. Kaye makes sure that they are cleaned and pressed if needed before returning them to the church to be used for the Baptisms.
The Holy Stitchers Ministry has about 10 members. They typically meet on the second Thursday of the month immediately following noon Mass. Kaye makes sure to advertise in the bulletin so others in the parish know when they are meeting.
“Our meetings typically have between three to six members who attend,” Kaye says. “We enjoy the fellowship and friendship of our meetings and we encourage our members to come. But we know that many people are not available during the day, so we welcome them as a part of our group as well! Others are welcome to contact me to get supplies so they can do work on their own time and return the garments to the church.”
This group was started right before the pandemic began. They shifted to doing the work individually in their own homes, but they are so grateful to be meeting together again.
Recently, some of the members of the group have taken on a special additional role within the parish.
“One of the priests saw us working and came and asked us if we could do a few minor repairs — maybe fix a few buttons here or minor fixes there,” Kaye says. “But once they saw what we could do, they started bringing us more intricate fixes. It really can be challenging work. Sometimes we have to try to match fabrics to do the repairs. On particularly challenging repairs, we will get together and figure out how to best repair the item. Then we will pass it off to whoever is feeling up to the challenge!”
These two vital roles that this ministry fills are important for the church. The members share their talents of sewing and embroidery work for the betterment of the parish community. It is a true stewardship of time and talent.
“When we sit and visit together while doing our work, we have such wonderful conversations and it grows your connection to the parish community,” Kaye says. “We share our gifts with others and it is a gift that we are helping to make the celebration of the Mass beautiful. We help to make the celebration of a Baptism special. We work for the love of the church and our fellow parishioners.”
All are welcome to join the Holy Stitchers on the second Thursday of the month after the noon Mass.
