Stephanie Croston

    It began with a simple question. How are you at making vestments?
     The answer has led Mary Hardesty and Judy Vandenberg of Seward to a new and unique ministry to the students at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward and to the priests around the Lincoln Diocese.
     Hardesty said the Rev. John Folda at St. Gregory's asked how she was at making vestments. The diocese was looking for new garments for all of priests-about 150 total. They made 200 chasubles in two-and-a-half months, Vandenberg said.
     "Judy had to be involved, too," Hardesty said.
     The diocese includes everything south of the Platte River-from Nebraska City to McCook, Vandenberg said. The two women were commissioned to make chasubles and stoles for all the priests to be worn during ordination ceremonies May 23 and 24.
     A chasuble is usually worn when priests celebrate a mass together, often during Holy Week or at funerals. It's an oblong piece of fabric with symbols on it, Vandenberg said. The ones she and Hardesty made are ivory with burgundy trim.
     "It can be simple to elaborate," Hardesty said. "For this they were all the same."
     They worked with a company called Almy in Greenwich, Conn., to find the fabric. Almy cut the fabric into the correct shapes, and Hardesty and Vandenberg bought the chasubles in kits.
     All told, they needed 800 yards of fabric for the chasubles and approximately 1,200 yards of braid.
     "We had to work with each piece of braid about five times," Hardesty said. "Each had to be steamed, shrunk, adhered and stitched twice."
     Almy also had the equipment to make the embroidered crosses on the chasubles and stoles, the ladies said.
     "We started before Christmas," Vandenberg said. "If we hadn't gone this way, we would not be ready."
     Hardesty said they learned more than they expected on this particular project, including how to find the proper materials for the garments.
     "You can't just go to a fabric store," she said.
     The chasubles and stoles aren't the first project Vandenberg and Hardesty have done for St. Gregory's. About three years ago, they started making cassocks for the students. A cassock is the black frock priests wear every day.
     Before, St. Gregory's would order ready-made cassocks for its students and hope they'd fit, Hardesty said. At the time, she was making wedding and bridesmaid dresses for her daughter's wedding, and Folda asked if she could make cassocks, as well.
     "I said we'd figure it out," Hardesty said.
     They use a tropical blend wool for the cassocks and tailor each to fit a specific student. The fabric is light-weight and wrinkle resistant, Hardesty said.
     The cassocks are given to the students at a clothing ceremony in the fall, she said.
     "The new guys don't wear them until they receive them on cassock day. They wear suits," Hardesty said. "Then they have the option. They take great pride in them as a symbol of their vocation."
     The first year, they made eight. The next year, they made 24.
     "We started slowly," Vandenberg said. "I'm not sure how we did it at first."
     They had to design a pattern and went through many trials and errors, she said.
     Each has three pleats, big cuffs and buttons up the front, Hardesty said.
     A pattern maker in Kansas City helped them true up the pattern to help eliminate the guesswork. The sizes are also now set to industry standards.
     The biggest challenge is getting the necks right, Vandenberg said. They've had to learn body types and figure out how to make the collar stand correctly for each.
     Cassock day is usually in October, and the ladies receive the measurements for the new seminarians in August.
     "It's another short deadline," Hardesty said.
     The projects have not been easy, Vandenberg said, adding that they've required a lot of prayer. But the prayers haven't stopped.
     "We take each garment and pray for the person who will wear it," Hardesty said. "It's not just a garment. It's a spiritual thing to do for God."
     The students appreciate the work Hardesty and Vandenberg do on the cassocks, they said.
     Vandenberg said one hugged her, thanked her and told her how much it meant to them.
     "'It feels so good,' he said," Vandenberg said. "It's truly humbling."
     Hardesty said it has been an honor to see how seriously the students take their chosen vocation. She sees that every day in her job at St. Gregory's, where she serves as administrative assistant, bookkeeper and assistant registrar, among other duties.
     Vandenberg works at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Seward.
     Both women have sewing areas in their homes where they can spread out and work on their projects.
     Vandenberg, whose business is called Humble Threads, said she was inspired by Pope John Paul, who encouraged people to use the skills they have and to not be afraid to do so.
     Hardesty called her business Covenant Vestments because of the covenant the priests have with God and her own life covenant with God.
     "The garments are a symbol of that," she said. "God has given us gifts and this is how we can return to Him and give glory to Him for what He's given us."