Bespoke silk robes await Pope Francis on Thailand visit

Thailand's capital boasts garment makers ranging from bespoke tailors to sweatshops, but for a truly divine frock, you have to look a little harder.

In a Catholic preparatory school, seamstresses from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters of Bangkok are studiously snipping and sewing. They've been working tirelessly, running up the ceremonial garments Pope Francis will wear during his four-day visit to Thailand later this month.

Using Thai silk, the nimble-fingered outfitters have made two full sets of custom robes, in gold-and-white and in vivid red, to grace the pontiff at two public Masses before tens of thousands of the faithful.

In this Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, photo, Sister Sukanya Sukchai holds a newly made Thai silk miter at Catholic preparatory school in Bangkok, Thailand. Seamstresses from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters of Bangkok are studiously snipping and sewing, fashioning robes for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis. They’ve been working tirelessly, running up the ceremonial garments Pope Francis will wear during his four-day visit to Thailand later this month. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

They are also stitching almost 200 robes for accompanying bishops, though no silk for them: Theirs are made of polyester.

The strong colors of the pope's two robes, known as chasubles, are not just to ensure he's visible from a distance — they also convey meaning. The visit's organizers say the gold and white symbolize innocence and joyfulness, while the red represents love and the blood of martyrs.

An air of quiet concentration pervades the high-ceilinged room where the 11-member team of sisters have been racing the clock, 10 hours a day, ever since the 82-year-old pope's measurements arrived from the Vatican in September.

In this Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, photo, seamstresses from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters of Bangkok snip and sew at a preparatory school in Bangkok, Thailand. The seamstresses are studiously snipping and sewing, fashioning robes for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis. They’ve been working tirelessly, running up the ceremonial garments Pope Francis will wear during his four-day visit to Thailand later this month. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

Despite nervousness over the approaching deadline, they say they're on track. Soon they'll send the chasubles to the Vatican's embassy in Bangkok for final approval.

"I felt that we didn't have much time, but I wasn't worried that we wouldn't finish them," said Sister Sukanya Sukchai, a member of the tailoring team.

"I knew that God would help. I knew that his help would come in time so that we would finish the job — despite our stress about not being able to complete the task."

In this Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, photo, seamstresses from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters of Bangkok snip and sew at a Catholic preparatory school in Bangkok, Thailand. A 11-member team of Sisters have been racing the clock, 10 hours a day, stitching almost 200 ceremonial garments for Pope Francis and accompanying bishops for Pope Francis four-day visit to Thailand later this month. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

The pope's robes often incorporate designs relating to the country he's in. Two years ago in Myanmar, his green chasuble bore the country's national flower, the bright yellow padauk.

For Thailand, an ancient motif known as a "kranok" emblazons the cloth. The intricate design is frequently seen carved in the stone or wood of Thai temples.

The priest behind the idea, the Rev. Naruenat Pankrod, said by phone from Italy that he worried the kranok might be too elaborate for a pontiff who favors simplicity, but it's received the seal of approval.

In this Friday, Nov. 8, 2019 photo, a seamstresses from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters of Bangkok sews at a Catholic preparatory school in Bangkok, Thailand. The seamstresses have been working tirelessly, running up the ceremonial garments Pope Francis will wear during his four-day visit to Thailand later this month. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

The tailors hope the same will go for the garments themselves.

Gaysorn Srihera, who leads the tailoring team, said she can't wait to see the fruits of their labor before a worldwide audience.

"I am very excited. I want to see how good the vestments that I made could look. I am very excited and happy," she said.

In this Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, photo, Sister Sukanya Sukchai, right, inspects a newly made pillow at a Catholic preparatory school in Bangkok, Thailand. Seamstresses from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters of Bangkok are studiously snipping and sewing. They’ve been working tirelessly, running up the ceremonial garments Pope Francis will wear during his four-day visit to Thailand later this month. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

Pope Francis will arrive in Thailand on Nov. 20 before heading off to Japan three days later, where a new set of tailor-made robes will await him.

In this Friday, Nov. 8, 2019 photo, a seamstresses from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters of Bangkok sews at a Catholic preparatory school in Bangkok, Thailand. The seamstresses are studiously snipping and sewing, fashioning robes for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis. They’ve been working tirelessly, running up the ceremonial garments Pope Francis will wear during his four-day visit to Thailand later this month. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

In this Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, photo, Sister Sukanya Sukchai adjusts a newly made ceremonial garments at a Catholic preparatory school in Bangkok, Thailand. Seamstresses from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters of Bangkok are studiously snipping and sewing, fashioning robes for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis. They’ve been working tirelessly, running up the ceremonial garments Pope Francis will wear during his four-day visit to Thailand later this month. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

In this Friday, Nov. 8, 2019 photo, a seamstress from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters of Bangkok hangs a ceremonial garment after ironing it at a Catholic preparatory school in Bangkok, Thailand. The seamstresses are studiously snipping and sewing, fashioning robes for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis. They’ve been working tirelessly, running up the ceremonial garments Pope Francis will wear during his four-day visit to Thailand later this month. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

In this Friday, Nov. 8, 2019 photo, a boy wears a T-shirt marking Pope Francis' visit to Thailand at a Catholic preparatory school in Bangkok, Thailand. Pope Francis will arrive in Thailand on Nov. 20, before heading off to Japan three days later, where a new set of tailor-made robes will await him. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

This Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, photo provided by Rev. Naruenat Pankrod shows Pankrod with a design he created for Pope Francis miter for his four-day visit to Thailand, at San Giorgio delle Pertiche in Veneto, Italy. Rev. Pankrod said by phone from Italy that he worried the kranok might be too elaborate for a pontiff who favors simplicity, but it's received the seal of approval. (Naruenat Pankrod via AP)

DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.

The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.

“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”

Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.

The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.

Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.

“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”

It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.

“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”

Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.

First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”

Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.

“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”

For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.

“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)