Prayer in sports: healthy spirituality or superstition?

Jesuitical

America Media

News, News Commentary, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and guest host Sebastian sit down with Patrick Kelly, S.J. Father Pat holds the Heider Chair at Creighton University and is an expert in the theology of Sports. Then, in a special faith sharing segment, the hosts speak with Patrick Hyde, O.P., a Dominican priest and the pastor of St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University, about recent Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza. Fernando, the quarterback of the IU football team, has been outspoken about his Catholic faith and is a frequent attendee of masses at St. Paul Center. 0:00 Olympics or Super Bowl? 5:40 Sports and the Vatican 9:02 Playing sports vs. the spiritual life 14:50 Why athletes praise God 20:20 Sports and superstition 32:30 Sports, society and polarization 39:31 Being Catholic at Indiana U 45:00 Ministering to Fernando Mendoza 52:12 Healthy (and unhealthy) fandom Links for further reading: Father Pat’s book, “Play, Sport and Spirit” These Olympic athletes are leaning on Christian faith going into the Winter Games Pope Leo adds feast day of St. John Henry Newman to universal calendar Pope Leo, Archbishop Coakley urge renewal of last US-Russia nuclear treaty You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical. Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Hank Center at Loyola University Chicago is proud to sponsor Jesuitical.
0:04.0	We begin our spring semester programming by welcoming Father Mark Massa of Boston College's Boise Center for Religion and American Public Life for a lecture on Wednesday, January 28th.
0:16.0	Father Massa will present this year's Jesuit lecture entitled Catholic Fundamentalisms, based on its provocative
0:22.6	new book, Catholic Fundamentalism in America. The term fundamentalism has its roots in specific
0:28.3	forms of American Protestantism that arose around the turn of the 20th century in reaction to
0:33.4	liberalizing and modernizing trends within the church. In Catholic fundamentalism in America, Massa demonstrates how the Catholic right,
0:40.8	like its evangelical Protestant counterpart, has reacted to and fought against modern American culture.
0:46.4	This event will take place in person and will be available to view online after the lecture.
0:51.6	For more information about this or any other Hank Center event, please
0:55.0	visit LUC.edu slash CCIH.
0:59.0	Hello and welcome to Jesuitical, a podcast from America Media for saints and sinners.
1:14.9	You can join us each week for honest conversations about the Catholic Church and our world today,
1:19.7	sometimes over drinks. I'm Ashley McKinless, and I'm joined by Sebastian Gomes.
1:24.0	Bam, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, I thought you were going to cut me off by now.
1:33.0	For a second, I thought that was the Canadian national anthem, and I was like, oh, no, that's the Olympics.
1:38.7	Yeah, we have a great sports episode this week for our listeners.
1:42.6	And obviously, if you're listening today on Friday, when this episode drops,
1:46.1	it's the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.
1:48.0	Yeah, right.
1:48.8	And we're on opposite sides.
1:52.3	I never thought of that, but if the United States men's hockey team beats the Canadian
1:57.4	men's hockey team, we can no longer be friends or colleagues.
	...

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