Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
As Bishop James V. Johnston of Kansas City prepares to cheer on his beloved Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday’s Super Bowl, a cherished tradition continues between two faith leaders.
“While our faith is paramount as we journey through this life, sports and teams have a very important role in a community,” Johnston told a Jesuit news service. “The Chiefs’ run over these last seven years is something that I was privileged to be a part of during my years here as bishop.”
The Chiefs’ faith culture has been a defining characteristic of the team’s success, from ownership to players. Regardless of the Super Bowl victor, Bishop Johnston said fans from all over the globe are encouraged to maintain perspective.
“A Super Bowl brings people together across so many lines and in ways no other event could,” he said. “It supercharges community spirit and common identity in ways that are truly amazing. The greater Kansas City area, and indeed this multistate area of the Midwest, feels like a family when it comes to the Chiefs. It’s a source of pride and joy.”
The traditional “Bishops’ Bet” between Johnston and Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia includes a $500 donation to the winner’s chosen charity. Two years ago, the Chiefs’ last-second victory secured a generous offering to the Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
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Before the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers last year, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco promised — and reportedly delivered — a monetary donation, along with a shipment of San Francisco-based food product Rice-A-Roni.
This year, in addition to a charitable donation, there has been talk of cheesesteaks, a culinary delight that originated in Philadelphia, heading to the Midwest should the Chiefs capture an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl. An Eagles Super Bowl victory could procure some Kansas City’s famous barbecue spicing the environs of the City of Brotherly Love.
“This doesn’t get old,” Johnston said. “It’s all in good fun.”
–Alan Goforth
