Demand soars for religious products
By Brian Witte
Associated Press
BALTIMORE — Roman Catholic churches nationwide have been rushing to find bunting, candles and other products to help the faithful mourn the death of Pope John Paul II — and to recognize a new pontiff once he is chosen.
Matt Houston • Associated Press
That's meant a busy week for companies and stores that sell religious items.
Grant Orr, owner of the Grant T. Orr Church Goods Company, arranges devotional candles beneath a portrait of Pope John Paul II in St. Raphael's Catholic Church in Rockville, Md. Orr's firm has been overwhelmed with the demand for candles since the pope's death.
"Until Friday, it was just a steady stream of people inquiring (about) what products would be available when the pope passes, and people were quite afraid to really come out and say it," said Grant T. Orr, whose Gaithersburg, Md., company is one of the largest wholesale liturgical product sellers on the East Coast. The company also has a retail store in Baltimore.
Before it happened, Orr didn't want to advertise or even bring up the subject of the pope's death because doing so seemed crass to him: "I didn't want to do anything really — other than the peripheral planning — until he passed."
So when the pope died Saturday, business soared and made things hectic. Condolence books and cards with the pope's picture have been very popular, as have memorial candles with the papal coat-of-arms.
Orr has spent most of the week calling manufacturers, asking them to ship goods quickly. Some churches saw a month's supply of candles dwindle rapidly over the weekend.
The challenge for church goods manufacturers and suppliers was preparing for an event that hadn't happened in more than 25 years.
"I don't know what the standard operating procedure is," Orr said. "We're just kind of winging it."
