PACKERS AND THEIR CHAPLAIN LEAD CAC’S SPREAD OFFENSE
Spreading the Gospel, that is, through an NFL network led by Green Bay priest
By Jim Penrice
“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46)
Nathanael would have had a field day with Green Bay.
A population of barely 100,000 people—fond of wearing foam rubber cheese wedges on their heads—publicly owns their professional football team, which plays in the frozen climate of this tiny, tucked-away hamlet against corporate-owned teams from much larger metropolitan areas.
Yet even a casual observer knows that the moniker “Title Town USA” is well-earned. The Green Bay Packers have won more NFL championships than any other team in history, en route to becoming one of the most popular sports franchises in the world. Not as well known is the rich Catholic legacy that has formed both the city and its beloved football team. The Catholic heritage of both Green Bay and the Packers is playing a key role in bringing players throughout the NFL closer to the Church, thanks to a partnership between team chaplains and Catholic Athletes for Christ.
While Catholic NFL chaplains are nothing new, a working fellowship among them was, until recently, nonexistent. “After eleven years of working with the Packers, I had never met another NFL chaplain,” said Norbertine Fr. Jim Baraniak, the Catholic priest on Green Bay’s chaplaincy roster. “I remember once seeing a priest on the other sideline in Franciscan garb, and thinking, I know there are others out there, I’d like to get to know them.”
That opportunity began with a phone call from CAC founder and president Ray McKenna, who had read about Fr. Jim’s work with the Packers. Before long Fr. Jim, a Wisconsin native and life-long Packer fan, was leading an outreach to a growing network of NFL chaplains, strengthening each other in their ministry and in turn the players and coaches they serve.
City on a hill
If the NFL needed a Catholic epicenter, Green Bay was a natural fit. Historically the city has been an extraordinarily Catholic community, with some estimates reporting as much as seventy percent of the population claiming membership. That identity has helped shaped the Packers from the very beginning. The team’s founder, Earl “Curly” Lambeau, came from a devout Catholic family, whose life centered upon the Norbertine St. Willebrord Church in downtown Green Bay. “St. Willy’s” was also where Vince Lombardi served at daily Mass during his legendary coaching tenure. (The city’s strong Catholic identity was a factor in luring the life-long New Yorker to the small Midwestern town.) Lombardi was followed in the head coach’s office by Catholics such as Dan Devine, Mike Sherman, and current head coach Mike McCarthy, whose Catholic roots have continued to advance the team’s spiritual focus.
“The Packers have a great dedication to the holistic development of their players,” said Fr. Jim. “They have always been concerned not only for their physical well-being, but for their spiritual, mental, academic and emotional health as well.” The evolution of Fr. Jim’s position with the team reflects that commitment.
When he was first tapped to be a chaplain, Fr. Jim was one of a number of priests who took turns at the job, which consisted primarily of celebrating Mass on game day. Team officials rotated chaplains so players would hear different voices. It was also a way to safeguard against anyone seeking access to professional athletes for ulterior motives. (Some NFL teams had discovered imposters posing as priests to get into their locker rooms, leading them to take precautionary measures.)
New perspective
Things began to change under Mike Sherman’s tenure as head coach. Sherman saw the value of having one permanent chaplain with whom players could build a trusting relationship, because he saw that their spiritual needs required more than Sunday Mass. “He began making referrals,” said Fr. Jim, “kind of like a high school coach who sees a player having trouble and sends him to talk to the priest.” During the Packers run for the playoffs one year—knowing the stressful environment the team would encounter in the postseason— Defensive Backs Coach Bob Valasenta turned to Fr. Jim and said, “If we make the playoffs we will focus on one chaplain, and you’re our man.” He’s been their sole Catholic chaplain ever since.
“As team chaplain I do pretty much everything a parish priest does,” said Fr. Jim. “The players’ schedule is so intense, with sixteen weeks of the season, potential playoffs, four weeks of preseason, and training camp before that, the opportunities to receive the sacraments and spiritual guidance in a parish are very rare.” This is why spiritual counseling, sacramental preparation, and a host of other responsibilities have become part of the job—which Fr. Jim relishes.
Of course the Packers are not comprised exclusively of Catholic players and coaches. The team makes every effort to meet the spiritual needs of players from all faith backgrounds. But Fr. Jim’s role is unique. He is the team’s only Catholic chaplain, while a number of Protestant ministers continue to rotate their duties. Fr. Jim is also the only chaplain who travels with the team. All NFL sites provide non-denominational chapel services for both home and visiting players and coaches, which the Packers can take advantage of on the road. But Fr. Jim celebrates Catholic Mass wherever the Packers happen to be.
An ecumenical coach
The diversity of his players’ faith lives is important to current head coach Mike McCarthy. A devout Catholic, McCarthy wants to imbibe all of his team’s spiritual traditions as well, which led him to make a change in the Packer’s weekly worship schedule.
For years the team had offered Catholic Mass and a non-denominational chapel service at the same time—4 ½ hours before kickoff—in separate rooms. McCarthy has changed that, with Mass still before the game but chapel the night before. McCarthy did this so he can attend both services every week. The coach wants to hear everything that is presented to his players, so he can incorporate all of these spiritual messages in directing the team. It is just another indicator of the Packers’ spiritual legacy and dedication to their players’ overall well-being.
Valued teammates
While being the sole Catholic chaplain at Lambeau Field with growing responsibilities, Fr. Jim is by no means alone. Since Joining Catholic Athletes for Christ he has tapped into and taken a leadership role in a growing network of Catholic NFL chaplains.
“It began a couple of years ago at the combine in Indianapolis,” said Fr. Jim. “We had a Mass and gathering for coaches, and they told us what they wanted from team chaplains. They also told us their horror stories. The next year we moved the Mass to a nearby church and had a huge turnout.” The combine also provided an opportunity for team chaplains to meet in person and begin building relationships.
Fr. Jim has taken leadership of the chaplain network, which includes Fr. Tom Willis of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fr. Peter Armenio of the Chicago Bears, Fr. Tom Barcellona of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Fr. Peter Gallagher of the Indianapolis Colts. As part of his pre-season preparations, Fr. Jim has been contacting chaplains from all the teams on the Packers’ 2009 schedule to arrange a dinner meeting the night before the game to get to know and support each other.
Fr. Jim is also helping to form a CAC chapter at St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin where he is pastor of Old St. Joseph Campus Church, as well as at two local Catholic high schools. He is excited to belong to Catholic Athletes for Christ, and sees tremendous potential for the future of Catholic sports ministry.
All those efforts deserve a Lambeau leap!
