Inside the Tailor Shop at St. Bede Abbey
Benedictine orders are unique in offering goods and services right on the grounds of their respective abbeys. Some are born out of passion, like the bread recipes books of our own Father Dominic. Others include lay persons who support our mission, like the Bethany House guest facility.
But for Beth Welbers, the tailor shop at St. Bede Abbey is a chance to use her skills to serve our Benedictine monks—and even priests beyond the order.
A tailor shop servicing St. Bede dates almost as far back as its founding. Because few monks have had the necessary skill to handle the repair and general maintenance of liturgical vestments, the shop has typically been run by lay assistants.
Beth’s mother, Alice Schmidt, oversaw the shop for almost 30 years, retiring in 2009. Under Alice, the shop expanded its reach to other monasteries while training lay tailors who would take over after her retirement.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the tailor shop paused its services. In 2022, Eileen Martin, a former tailor at the shop, came out of retirement to teach Beth the intricacies of making habits.
“You need more than a rudimentary understanding of sewing,” says Beth, who has been sewing herself since age 10. Even with that strong foundation, she says that learning the specifics of clerical tailoring presented new challenges. After studying under Eileen, Beth began operating the shop on her own, bringing a renewed energy with her.
All monastic wear is made from scratch, with Beth relying on a sloper—a rough outline of the pattern piece—to begin her process. From there, adjustments are made to create habits and liturgical vestments, sized for an individual monk.
Although the liturgical vestments worn during Mass can be easily replicated with polyester, Beth—as well as most Benedictine monks—prefers higher-end fabrics like damasks, brocades and fine silks. The goal, she says, is to bring attention to the priest at the altar, glorifying the Mass.
On top of long white alb, priests sport a solid-color chasuble to match the colors in the liturgical year: purple during Advent, white on Christmas and Easter and green during Ordinary Time. Some priests will opt for a red chasuble during Pentecost. A large, embroidered piece in the center accents most chasubles and the entire piece is matched to a stole, draped around the neck.
Just like her mother’s tenure, Beth’s work is not just limited to monks at St. Bede. While it’s not unheard of for a tailor to operate on the grounds of an abbey, specialization in priestly garments has become increasingly rare.
“You can’t just buy Benedictine habits on Amazon,” Beth jokes. “You just get cosplay.” In fact, monasteries as far as New Jersey have a line to Beth when they need her services.
Even diocesan priests have built a relationship with Beth and St. Bede, preferring a Benedictine cassock with a three-inch pleat in the back for greater range of motion.
For new clients, Beth will hop on a video call to talk through the process and get an idea of what they like. She’ll send fabric swatches and a few photos of St. Bede’s monks’ outfits to help shepherd the vision.
Beth says that just like all clothing, priestly garments also experience an evolution in trends. She looks at some of her reference photos, noting a “kind of 70s look to them.” Today’s liturgical vestments have taken a decided swing towards more traditional styling cues.
Typically, Beth spends about 40 hours putting together a full Benedictine habit. If she’s just constructing a simple cassock, it takes closer to 25 hours.
“That’s very responsive for something so specialized,” Beth notes.
Most years, Beth will produce about a dozen full outfits for Benedictine monks. But she says she’d gladly do more if and when the job calls for it. She compares it to a vocation: “Doing the Lord's work, one stitch at a time.”
