"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

-- Gestalt school of psychology

They began with squares of inexpensive fabric, tucked into paper lunch sacks, handed out by the hundreds to anyone who would take one.

Then they were colored by preschoolers, embroidered by ladies, decorated by artists of all ages before they were returned in their plain brown bags.

And then the women gathered.

Some applied their skills in the social hall at St. Ferdinand Church in Cranberry. Others worked at home. All engaged in the unified effort: matching the simple squares, merging the distinctly different pieces into something bigger than just their parts, infusing them with precision and prayer, care and creativity.

When they were finished, they were what pastoral associate Barb McCarthy calls "comfort blankets."

It's been a long time since 41-year-old Melissa Greene toted a security blanket.

Now, she's sleeping with one every night.

"It gives me great comfort,'' she says of the colorful square of cloth that was given to her last fall.

Greene, which is not her real name, was at a low point in her life when she was given a St. Ferdinand comfort blanket. She was struggling with depression. She was trying to re-enter the work force. She was dealing with financial troubles and a trio of children who were suffering through the demise of their parents' 10-year union.

The comfort blanket reminds her that she's being kept in the prayers of many friends.

The 55-year-old McCarthy is in charge of the dozens of lay ministers who volunteer at St. Ferdinand, one of the largest parishes in the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese.

She has made her mark on the congregation in a variety of ways, from heading the parish program for adult converts to establishing a popular church tour that mixes the history of the religion with the history of the 13-year-old building.

But her ministry is extending beyond the bounds of the St. Ferdinand congregation with the comfort blanket workshop that got its start two years ago.

The idea had simple beginnings, rooted in McCarthy's longtime love of sewing and a passion for handcrafted gifts.

Helena Rock, an active member of St. Ferdinand, was in a nursing home struggling with Lou Gehrig's disease. McCarthy suggested that each of the 16 members of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, the convert program she leads, decorate a square of fabric that McCarthy would stitch into a blanket for Rock.

"I lay the squares out on the floor in my house, and I saw all those messages of love and support and, I know it was the Holy Spirit, but all of a sudden this idea came to me. We have to do this for other people, too," McCarthy recalled.

That was in April 2002.

"Last week, we were so surprised and blessed to receive a handmade quilt from you for my son, Anthony. Six years old, he had been in Children's Hospital for five days with severe abdominal pain and undergoing many tests ... He was so excited to receive the blanket and sleeps with it every night. We will always treasure it!" -- excerpt from a thank-you note to the parish

With the endorsement of Pastor John Gallagher, McCarthy used the Sunday bulletin to request donations of fabric. Within weeks, she had 20 bags full -- hundreds upon hundreds of yards of material.

Scissors in hand, volunteers began gathering to cut the fabric into uniform squares. By late fall, 6,000 squares were ready for decorating.

"We asked members of the parish to decorate the squares and to return them to a basket we had placed at the Nativity. It would be our parish's Christmas present to the Christ child,'' McCarthy recalled.

Thousands of squares were returned, and after Christmas, the sewing began.

By spring, 74 blankets were hanging in the church and another dozen or so had been distributed. Since then, 775 blankets have been made and all but about a dozen have been given away.

They're with soldiers in Iraq, poor children in New Mexico, the wives of Pittsburgh firefighters who died in the line of duty, and patients at UPMC Passavant in McCandless.

"We keep blankets at the church rectory and at the cupboard in our [religious education building]. We'll get calls from people saying they've heard of someone who needs some comforting and some prayer,'' McCarthy said.

Anyone who wants one may have one. "There are so many reasons why people need comfort in life,'' McCarthy said, whether it's the loss of a loved one, a divorce or a health crisis, and the religion of the recipient doesn't matter.

Nikki Renaud was an 18-year-old senior at Seneca Valley Senior High School when she learned she had an inoperable brain stem tumor and wouldn't live to see summer vacation. It was March 26, 2003, when her friends, teachers and school administrators convened an at-home graduation for her. A St. Ferdinand comfort blanket was given to her that evening as a gift from the church.

"There was a patch on the blanket that quoted from the Bible -- 'As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you,' " said Nikki's mother, Roxanne Renaud, of Seven Fields. "She would hold that blanket and read that, and if she thought that we were going to cry, she'd tell us to just look at it."

Nikki died on May 26, 2003. Her mom keeps the blanket under her bed pillow. "People have no idea how far and how deep the comfort blanket goes,'' she said.

In all, about 60 volunteers regularly decorate and assemble the squares and several more deliver them.

One of the most prolific of the stitchers is Charlene Noonan, of Cranberry, a 68-year-old retired nurse and St. Ferdinand member who has sewn 325 of the blankets.

"My husband, George, encouraged me to get involved. With seven children , I've always sewn, so I thought, 'Why not?' " Noonan said.

She began by simply putting together the right number of decorated squares at home and returning them to the church. Then, she started going to the church social hall so she could pick her own squares, looking for complementing color schemes and themes that meshed. Now, hardly a day passes that Noonan doesn't work on a blanket.

The real turning point for her came when the thank-you notes began rolling in. "These notes were so moving. I realized how much this meant to people. It's inspiring,'' she said. "I feel like I'm doing good."

On a recent Tuesday, the women gathered in a large room of the social hall. At one table, squares were cut. At another, decorated patches were sorted into kits for sewing. And at another, the squares were etched with fabric markers and paints.

Rita Winter, of Zelienople, a member of St. Ferdinand, applied color to a square. "We get as much out of this as those who receive the blankets: the camaraderie, the sense that we're doing something to help someone else. It's wonderful,'' she said.

Rosemary Huber, of Harmony, a church member for 44 years, admonished her buddy to remember the laughter. "We do a lot of that,'' she said.

And they shared the stories of the blankets' destinations. "We hear where they're going and who's receiving them and we're inspired to decorate faster, produce more,'' said Jan Shaffer, of Cranberry.

"[I was given] a comfort blanket after my husband passed away. We were going to celebrate 47 years of marriage in June and I feel that I have lost my best friend. Your wonderful ministry is very much appreciated. Each square has a special meaning and I think about the families who have had a hand in mine. It is comforting to know others care enough to extend their thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time."

-- excerpt from a thank-you note to the parish

Each comfort blanket is one of a kind, but there are commonalities. Each is made up of 12 decorated squares. Each comes with a St. Ferdinand Parish Family logo patch. Each is accompanied by a written history of the blanket ministry workshop. And each has a square with Isaiah's quotation: "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you."

The project has grown to the point that McCarthy hasn't had to seek donations of fabric and other supplies. The late Catherine Robinson, a St. Ferdinand member and one of McCarthy's volunteers, died in October 2002, a couple of months after her 80th birthday party. Her family donated the birthday money Robinson had received, and the Catherine Robinson Foundation was created. Since then, other parishioners and their families have made donations, enough that the comfort blanket ministry is self-supporting.

"This is about our parish caring for people, being a human extension of God's comfort,'' McCarthy said. "The blankets are a tangible reminder that God's love is surrounding them like a warm blanket."