In a quiet, unassuming place in the village of Raia, lives aman who has a history of clothing Catholic priests. Unusual as it may sound,when a priest “ regardless of which part of Goa he is stationed in “ needs acassock, he will seek out Eudes Dias and his wife Cynthia.
The art of making cassocks was passed down through threegenerations with interesting twists. Eudes’ great-grandfather was the onlycassock-maker during his time and had an only son who wanted to become apriest. “My maternal grandfather Antonio Gomes wanted to become a priest. Butthe rector said, ‘If you become a priest, who will stitch cassocks for us?’ Somy grandfather was sent back home and he continued his father’s profession,”says Eudes. Antonio named his business Alfaiataria de Batinas, which isPortuguese for ‘Tailor Shop of Cassocks.’ He had an only daughter and when hedied, it looked like the art would die with him. Eudes’ mother tried to keepthe profession alive by employing a tailor who learnt from her the tricks ofthe trade and wanted to start the business on his own. He however, had a sonwho wasn’t keen on taking up stitching and the idea died.
Enter Eudes. He was in class 11 when, one Sunday, theemployed tailor advised him to try his hand at stitching a cassock, instead ofwhiling away his time. With extra pocket money always welcome, Eudes completedthe cassock by that evening. With no formal training in tailoring, Eudesperfected his art through the years.
“Though others have tried their hand at making cassocks, weseek out Eudes because he is adept at the art of making cassocks and tailoring.He gives us an excellent fit,” says Fr Victor Ferrao of the Rachol Seminary.Funnily, the priests believe that Eudes guards the cassock-making secret thathis grandfather passed down.
The cassocks transcend boundaries “ priests from differentparts of the country and the world have flocked to Raia in search of theperfect cassock. During the exposition of St Francis Xavier in 2004, Eudes wascalled to Old Goa to take measurements and stitch a cassock for a priest fromRome. While his wife manages the tailors, Eudes sees that only he cuts thecloth. So the next time you see a Goan Catholic priest, you know who hiscouturier is.
