Parish sewing ministry stitches comfort for patients
St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish Catholic nun, spent her life sharing a message of compassion and mercy. At the Slippery Rock parish named for her, sewing ministry volunteers carry that message forward by making small pillows to support women recovering from breast cancer surgery.
Tucked between a woman’s upper arm and side, the roughly 8-inch-by-12-inch cotton pillow is intended to cushion the tender underarm area after surgery.
Deanna Clouse said the ministry began nearly 17 years ago after a parishioner told her and then-pastor the Rev. Kevin G. Poecking that women undergoing mastectomies at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Butler could use extra support during recovery. She started the ministry to meet that need.
Today, the sewing ministry maintains contact with hospital staff to learn about patients’ changing needs. In addition to surgical pillows, volunteers sew soft hats for people experiencing chemotherapy-related hair loss and fabric seat belt covers intended to cushion sensitive areas from chest pressure.
What began with six to eight women has grown to about 25 active members. Led by Clouse and Kathy Fox, the sewing ministry meets two evenings a month at St. Anthony Church, one of St. Faustina Parish’s four worship sites. Members make small gifts for people in hospitals and hospice care, as well as for others whose needs are brought to the group’s attention.
On meeting evenings, conversation fills the room as four or five sewing machines hum and knitters work nearby. Tables hold printed fabric while one volunteer cuts material and others stuff pillows, press fabric or tie fleece blankets. Members who work from home bring finished projects to meetings, where the items are prepared for delivery.
Clouse said the volunteers enjoy the work and the camaraderie that has grown over the years.
“We’re a social group,” Clouse said. “People come and really look forward to getting together with other women with the same interests.”
Over time, the ministry has expanded its outreach to hospice patients, including through donations of comfort pillows to VNA Hospice in Butler and to hospitalized children.
After receiving a request for pediatric patients, Clouse said she delivered 94 colorful pillowcases to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh on Sept. 21. The handmade pillowcases featured bright patterns ranging from cartoon characters and airplanes to geometric shapes and Pittsburgh sports team logos.
The ministry also gives pillowcases to parish First Communion and Confirmation classes, and to parishioners for other special occasions throughout the year.
“As women, we’re mothers, grandmothers, we’re caregivers,” Clouse said. “Making items such as pillowcases gives the volunteers a meaningful way to bring comfort to children who are ill.”
Because volunteers deliver items to hospital personnel rather than directly to patients, they rarely meet recipients in person. Still, they cherish handwritten thank-you notes and stories of gratitude passed along to them.
Supported by parish funding and individual parishioner donations for materials, the group’s mission remains rooted in faith. Before every meeting, Fox said, the volunteers gather to pray for people who are ill.
“We want everyone who gets a pillow, a pillowcase or any item our sewers make to know how much love and prayers they are getting from this ministry,” Fox said.
