By Joanna Puddister King
VICKSBURG – Every Thursday morning, the fellowship hall at St. Michael Catholic Church fills with quiet conversation, prayer and the steady click of knitting needles. That’s when the parish’s KnitWits ministry gathers to create hats, scarves, blankets and other handmade gifts for people in need across Mississippi.
Formed several years ago by parishioners, the group now numbers about 15 members from St. Michael, St. Paul Parish in Vicksburg, St. Edward Parish in Tallulah, Louisiana – and even one Baptist friend.

“They are such a loving group of ladies,” said Father Robert Dore, pastor of St. Michael. “What they create with their hands becomes an expression of faith, generosity and care for others.”

The KnitWits meet from 10 a.m. to noon for prayer, fellowship and crafting. They pray for the community, for the world, and for the people who will receive their gifts.

Jessica Ryan leads the group, recording prayer requests and organizing projects. This year they are making blankets for 72 children in the foster care system, including 12 in Vicksburg and 60 in the Jackson metro area.

The ministry also makes cap and scarf sets for shelters and rehab centers, toys and baby blankets for pregnancy resource centers, and shawls and lap blankets for the homebound or those recovering from illness. When an infant is baptized at St. Michael, the KnitWits provide a handmade receiving blanket.

Parishioners support the effort with donations of yarn and funds, helping the group expand its reach. In the past year, the KnitWits produced hundreds of items: afghans, shawls, hats, toys and fidget pads for clinics, hospices, shelters and pregnancy centers across the state. Their Christmas project alone supplied 80 hat-and-scarf sets each to St. Joseph Hospice and Belmont Gardens Rehabilitation.

Through every stitch, the KnitWits remain faithful to their mission: to knit together love, prayer and service.