Rochester — St. Andrew Parish’s needlework ministry is just that: a ministry welcoming all kinds of needlework, from knitting to crocheting and felting to embroidering.

Nancy Stevens, 75, who helped start the ministry at the Rochester parish in October 2014, said many seniors attend, but all ages are welcome.

“(We) want this to be intergenerational so it’s not just elderly people sitting around the table,” said Stevens, who is an avid knitter and recently learned to crochet.



“A young man has been coming with his middle-aged mother,” said Stevens. “He learned to knit in a day!”

Stevens said one younger participant brings her two daughters. This participant’s specialty is felting, which refers to washing knit wool items in a certain way to transform them into felt.

“She brought her two daughters and we taught them how to knit,” Stevens said.

Stevens said the ministry, which usually meets on Saturday mornings for three hours, focuses on making projects for charity.

“I think there was a need in the community to have this group because most Catholic parishes have needlework ministries, but for whatever reason it never happened (here),” she said. Projects have included tiny hats by the basketful knitted for premature babies, and handmade contributions to the parish’s recent baby shower for a mom in need.

Stevens credits the parish’s Christian service coordinator, Joe Soncrant, for getting the ministry off the ground and for advertising their meetings in the bulletin. She said she is also grateful for fellow parishioners’ occasional donations of yarn stashes and needles, since the items are always utilized.

Stevens encourages people to bring in any type of needlework project during the Saturday gatherings, even projects that aren’t necessarily for charity: “Sometimes it’s for a grandchild.”

The atmosphere is casual, and people are welcome to come and go as they wish during the three-hour slot. Participants are also welcome, but not required, to bring snacks.



Joyce Murphy, 67, learned about the needlework ministry in the parish bulletin, but wasn’t able to join immediately as it coincided with her son’s wedding and the first anniversary of her husband’s passing.

Murphy had already been knitting for charity, though, and she saw the ministry as a great opportunity.

One organization she assists is Knit Michigan, which provides “chemo caps” for individuals experiencing hair loss through chemotherapy.

“I’ve been knitting since I was a kid,” said Murphy. “My mother was a knitter and she was always having us make mittens because I grew up in Minnesota.”

Murphy said she enjoys St. Andrew’s gatherings, in which she can help people who are new to knitting or crocheting.

Freddy Kemler, 72, has been knitting since she was 5 years old.

She experienced knitting for special reasons when her daughter-in-law was dying of cancer nearly 10 years ago, and Kemler coordinated making a prayer shawl for her to use.

Kemler heard about St. Andrew’s ministry starting up and thought, “Gosh, this is kind of cool. So I went.”

She now enjoys knitting for the charity projects and loves seeing newcomers learn to knit.

“It’s nice to do some of your work for other people,” she said. “I feel very close to the Lord when I do it, I feel very at peace.”

Diane Kaniut, 85, said that after her husband’s death a year ago, she has been knitting a lot. She learned about the group in the bulletin, and thought she should try it out.

“I had been knitting with just friends in the past,” said Kaniut, who is involved in the local Christ Child Society that provides assistance and layettes for needy mothers.

“Christ Child likes to put hand-knit hats or sweaters in each layette,” she said. Kaniut helped organize St. Andrew’s recent knitted contributions to many of Christ Child’s layettes.

A longtime knitter, Kaniut enjoyed learning how to crochet for the first time when attending the needlework ministry.

“I think what’s nice about this group, and keeps it going, is that it’s not all people the same age,” she said. “What appeals to me is that it’s knitting for a good cause. Anybody who knits a lot, you can only wear so many sweaters or give your grandchildren so many sweaters.”

 

Needlework ministry

To learn more or participate in St. Andrew Parish’s needlework ministry, call Nancy Stevens at (248) 743-7418. The ministry’s next gathering is on Saturday, March 21 in the lower level of the parish center, and lasts from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Beginners and veteran needleworkers welcome. Feel free to bring a snack.