Amidst the glitz and fame of Super Bowl LVII earlier this month, two priests of the Diocese of Camden made their way to the big game to ensure that everyone they encountered – players, staff, fans – knew where the real trophy lies.
Fathers Nicholas Dudo, vicar for clergy, and Vincent Guest, pastor of Camden’s Sacred Heart Parish, traveled as Catholic chaplains for the Philadelphia Eagles as the team took on the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
The priests were stepping in for Father Thomas Barcellona, head Eagles chaplain and pastor of Our Lady of the Angels, Cape May Court House. Over the years, the two have assisted Father Barcellona in celebrating Mass for team personnel and their families the Saturday before home games at the Eagles’ NovaCare practice facility in Philadelphia.
“Anytime I couldn’t be there, they pitched in for me and have done a great job,” said Father Barcellona, who has been a shepherd to the Eagles organization for the past 19 years.
When it seemed a good possibility that the Eagles, 14-3 in the regular season and charging through the playoffs, would make it to their second Super Bowl in five years, Father Barcellona, due to scheduling conflicts, decided to pass the ball off to his brother priests.
“Just before the NFC Championship game against the 49ers, I asked if they wanted to go,” Father Barcellona said. The two priests, lifelong Eagles fans, eagerly accepted.
It was Father Guest’s first trip to the Super Bowl, and Father Dudo’s second, as five years ago, he was in Minneapolis for Super Bowl LII and the Eagles’ victory over the Patriots.
“I feel blessed, and appreciate that Father Tom has been kind enough to ask me to go. I am grateful for all the work he’s done over the years,” Father Dudo said.
His Eagles fandom can be traced to “Sunday afternoons growing up, with family and friends, faithfully following the Eagles through the years, the good and bad.” These seasons, he said, united the whole community through hope and perseverance.
For Father Guest, it was the early 1990s squads with Buddy Ryan, Reggie White, Randall Cunningham and others that “captured my heart; these players and teams were all fun to watch. There have been challenging years, too, but I’ve always been a faithful and loyal fan.”
Sharing the Gospel
Green rosaries, miraculous medals, prayer cards, chalice, paten and Eagles gear in hand, Father Dudo and Father Guest departed from Philadelphia International Airport the Thursday before the game.
Arriving at the Phoenix airport, the two made their way downtown to The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Saint Mary’s Basilica), the oldest Catholic church in Phoenix and home of the Franciscan Friars, who warmly greeted them with fellowship, shelter and meals.
Both had planned to celebrate Mass for the Eagles organization, but they soon learned that due to NFL security regulations, only one could be on the altar the Saturday night before the game.
This task went to Father Dudo, who led a liturgy less than 24 hours before kickoff in the team hotel, a half-hour from Saint Mary’s. In his homily, he reminded those gathered that in one’s talents and accomplishments, always be thankful for the giver of gifts. “We need God’s help and grace to be successful.”
Father Guest, back at Saint Mary’s, admitted his initial disappointment at not being able to celebrate Mass with the Eagles, but soon realized God had other plans. The basilica is located across the street from the city’s convention center and the site of the Super Bowl fan experience, where hundreds of thousands of people were taking part in interactive games or brushing up on gridiron lore.
The fans were passing right by the church all weekend, and the Diocese of Phoenix, seeing an opportunity for evangelization, witness and healing, set up an information table and confessionals on the street.
“I put on my collar, and with miraculous medals, green rosaries and prayer cards, I was in front of the church for the better part of the night, touching hearts and bringing witness to the light of Christ,” Father Guest said.
“People shared their own stories and challenges,” he recalled. Joined by Saint Mary’s pastor, Father Michael Weldon, OFM, and Father Sheunesu Bowora, parochial administrator of Scottsdale’s Saint Daniel the Prophet Parish, he comforted visitors with the knowledge that “through the darkness, the Church is present and God is with them. His invitation is always there.”
The Camden priest also met a family whose daughter is going to the University of Pennsylvania next year. Hearing of the families’ curiosity in a local Catholic church for her to attend while at college, he passed along information about Sacred Heart and promised to keep in touch.
Amongst the busyness and fanfare outside the complex, Father Guest said he also became aware of a startling juxtaposition after a remark from one of the church volunteers. “I commented that the Phoenix streets looked so clean, and she responded, ‘That’s because they swept the homeless away.’”
When he asked for clarification, and if that meant they were put in shelters, she shook her head no.
This startling interaction, and the fact that the Super Bowl is the most human-trafficked event in the world, “showcased the reality of fame and fortune, and sin and greed” present in the same place, Father Guest said.
A Win Despite Loss
On Super Bowl Sunday, the two settled into their upper-level seats on the 5-yard line for what turned out be a nail-biting thriller. Father Guest and Father Dudo “cheered, booed and high-fived” those around them through the good, bad and ugly.
“It was a mixed crowd,” Father Dudo said. “One play we were cheering, and the next play, the people next to us were cheering. There was so much energy in the excitement around us.”
A three-point field goal in the final minute sealed the game 38-35 for the Chiefs. Despite the disappointment of the final score, the priests found much good to take back to the Diocese of Camden.
“We encountered good people,” Father Dudo said, recalling an experience waiting for a table outside a Phoenix pizzeria, and meeting a man who ran a camp for inner-city youth. “It’s inspiring, hearing his story. There’s a lot of good being done in the world.”
The people the two of them met, although not all were Catholic, were pleased to hear of their roles as Eagles chaplains. “They were happy to hear that the team supported the spiritual component of the organization,” Father Dudo said.
Added Father Guest, “Representing the Diocese of Camden at the Super Bowl was a great honor. Pope Francis encouraged priests to get out of the sacristy and into the community to share the Joy of the Gospel. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would have the opportunity to preach the Good News of Jesus and the salvation he offers at the Super Bowl!”
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