Pittsfield firm bolsters papal wardrobe > Almy Co. workers say they were nervous about making garments for John Paul II

PITTSFIELD — When Pope John Paul II appears on television during his current visit to the United States, the workers of C.M. Almy and Son Inc. in Pittsfield will be more attentive than most of Maine. But it’s his wardrobe that will have their attention.

In 1994, the Pittsfield manufacturer of church vestments was contacted to prepare a variety of special pieces for the churches assisting with the pope’s visit, originally planned for that fall. The pope had to cancel that trip due to illness. The company was contacted again in the spring of ’95 when the pope rescheduled.

The request set off a mild panic among some workers when they found the pieces would include items to be worn by the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Cheryl Thies of Pittsfield admits she was immediately nervous at the thought the leader of the Catholic world would be wearing a beige and green cope — a large cape — she would craft.

“Of course, I wanted it to be perfect,” she said Thursday.

Cindy Webber of Pittsfield and Belinda Holt of Palmyra were equally stressed until a co-worker pointed out, “Why would you make it any different than you ever do?”

Armed with that solid Yankee logic, the three women set out to do what they do every day — create the quality products that earned Almy’s the order in the first place. But they admit there were a few more checks and rechecks than normal by group leader Susan Morton.

“Nervous is not the word to describe this,” Morton said. “You don’t get a second chance.”

Webber can produce a miter, a fabric hat with a point and ribbons trailing down the back, in a little more than two hours. But for the pope, the detailed piece took nearly a day.

“After all, this [sewing for the pope] is not something you do every day,” she said.

The women work in an atmosphere of rich colors, fabrics and trims. They are surrounded by bright purples, stark whites and the vivid green that will adorn the pope’s natural beige cope. They are among 110 Almy employees at the Pittsfield plant. Another 45 employees staff the company’s showroom and design department in Greenwich, Conn.

The company was founded in 1892 and is operated today by Stephen and Michael Fendler, the fifth generation of original family ownership. The company’s longevity and quality make it the largest firm of its type, specializing in designing and making clerical clothing and ceremonial furnishings for the church in the U.S. Their work for the archdioceses of New York and New Jersey earned them the orders for the papal visit.

The company is no stranger to papal orders. Almy supplied vestments, linens and sacred vessels for the current pope’s Yankee Stadium Mass in 1979.

In addition to the pope’s cope and miter, the company made several pieces to be used in private and public services scheduled during the pontiff’s current visit.

Jim Gorman, a metalsmith-artisan with the company, designed and carved a solid bronze “suffering Christ” applied to a custom cross that will be used in the processional at the Central Park Mass in New York City.

Gorman, a quiet and modest man, admits he was “pretty proud” when the piece finally came together. He developed several drawings of the work before soldering solid brass rods together to be sculpted by rotary tools, and ultimately with a chisel. Unlike the women, he was able create a replica of his work cast in a lighter form that may be used in future production pieces.

None of the named craftspeople are Catholic, but before the pope’s vestments left Pittsfield most of the Catholics in the plant had at least touched the work. Even Father James Martel of Pittsfield’s St. Agnes Parish stopped by to have the thrill of seeing and touching the pieces to be used by the Holy Father.