Philly prisoners are building chair for Pope Francis

WHEN HE GETS out of prison, the stories Jermaine Coston will tell his sons about his incarceration will be few and far between, but there is one tale - of how Coston and his fellow inmates built a chair for Pope Francis - that he will recount with pride.

"I built a chair for the pope; being in here, I never thought I'd have an opportunity like this," Coston said. "It's something I can share with my kids."

When Pope Francis visits Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on Sept. 27 as part of his trip to Philadelphia, he is expected to meet with 100 inmates from throughout the Philadelphia Prison System and their families.

Among their thank you gifts, about a dozen inmates in the carpentry division of PhilaCor, the prison's job-skills program, will present the pope with a 6-foot walnut chair they are building from scratch.

At the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center yesterday, where the chair is being built, Coston, 30, said he barely knew how to use a tape measure when he entered the prison system two years ago on robbery and aggravated-assault charges.

Since then, PhilaCor has given him a skill - carpentry - and hope for when he is released.

"I just can't wait to get home and get a job in this field because it feels good to build something and accomplish something," he said. "There's a lot of hardship here but even in this bad situation, I learned to do good by picking up a trade."

Coston, of Southwest Philadelphia, said he will attach a picture of the pope chair to his resume when he gets out.

Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center Warden Karen Bryant said she too hopes the chair will serve as an example of the quality of the men's work.

"We hope when people see this chair they will see the type of work we do," Bryant said. "And they can do the same type of work outside - if someone will give them a job."

Edgar Williams, of West Philly, wants to get a picture of the chair tattooed on his arm so he can show it off to prospective employers.

Williams, 44, who said he was in prison for "stupidity," said that working on the chair has been a "once-in-a-lifetime experience."

When asked if he'd say anything to the pope if he has a chance, Williams said: "I'd tell him: 'Keep up the good work. And keep God first.' "

"I'd say, 'Can you get me home?' " Coston chimed in.

"Only God can get you home," Williams said.

Anthony Newman, assistant director of PhilaCor, said people need to be inspired to do good and projects like the chair for Pope Francis can inspire inmates.

"This gives them something to lean on in hard times," Newman said. "They can say 'I am better than people say I am and I can do better than what I used to.' "

While the men who are in the process of building the chair are expected to be among the inmates who will meet with Pope Francis, Newman said even if they don't get an audience with the pope, they still feel like they've been a part of something special.

"It's enough we did this for him," Newman said. "Even if we don't see him, we have something we can look back on. We have a story to tell."

The prisoners were inspired to make the cathedra-style chair - also known as a bishop's throne - after they refurbished one for Archbishop Charles Chaput when he visited Curran-Fromhold earlier this year.

While bishop's thrones can be extremely ornate, the one the prisoners have built for Pope Francis is relatively plain. It stands about 6-feet tall, 30-inches wide and 27-inches deep. It will have Pope Francis' coat of arms on the inside back, two papal crosses at the top and a bit of padding for the papal posterior, but nothing ostentatious.

"For the pope we're dealing with, he's a humble man," Newman said. "He likes to keep it simple, so we are, too."

Shawn Hawes, prison spokeswoman, said the chair will go back to the Vatican with Pope Francis, though the logistics are still being worked out.

"If they can get the Popemobile here, they can get the chair there," she said.

Inmate Michael Green of Chester, who said he was in prison for "bad decisions," noted that it's not often inmates get to represent their city to a visiting dignitary.

"I hope he sits in it and I hope he knows we put a lot of work in it," Green, 45, said. "And I hope he knows we did it as a team and and we did it on behalf of the city of Philadelphia."

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