CATHOLIC BASEBALL CONFERENCE TOUCHES ALL THE BASES

At a first of its kind event, Catholic athletes were energized and unified to spread the Gospel.

By James Penrice

An off-season baseball training camp is nothing new. But when the goal is to draw Catholic players into a deeper union with Christ and his Church, and send them forth to evangelize, it is revolutionary.
That’s what happened in November when over fifty attendees—athletes, spouses and supporters—gathered for four days at the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs, California for the first annual Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC) Baseball Conference. CAC is a national organization of Catholic athletes, coaches and fans dedicated to spreading the Gospel in and through the world of sports. The group has been in existence for over a year, but this was the first time members had an opportunity to gather as one and to see, perhaps for the first time, the true potential of athletics as an arena for evangelization. While billed as a baseball conference, athletes from many other sports attended as well, and were transformed by the experience.

“The conference was very exciting and eye-opening,” said Chris Horn, who has played for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. “It showed me how much of an impact we can have using sports as a platform to share Jesus.” Horn said that before the conference CAC members had witnessed their faith individually, but now they realize what they can accomplish as a body. “I don’t know if anyone knew what to expect,” he said. “The Holy Spirit took over the conference, inspiring us to jump on board and to use the platform we have been blessed with. We had an idea of where we could go, but no outright unity. The conference gave us a chance to talk about where we are going.”

Terry Kennedy was not sure what to expect, either. The four-time Major League Baseball All-Star came as a representative of the Diocese of Phoenix to check out CAC; he left as a new member, having signed on for the advisory board and speakers bureau. “I wish we had something like this when I played,” said the former San Diego Padre. He joined to help CAC grow more fully into the ministry it can potentially become. Kennedy noted that so far the bulk of the work has fallen to a small core group of organizers, especially CAC founder Ray McKenna. “Everyone at the conference is willing to do what they need to do to help,” Kennedy said. “Hopefully we can take some of the pressure off [the CAC organizers]. This can be even more far ranging than they realize.”

Daily workouts Some notable “coaches” were on hand to lead conference participants through a different kind of strength training. Patrick Madrid offered two presentations, titled “The Original Bible Church: What Do Catholics Believe?” and “Why be Catholic, when you could be anything else?” Steve McEveety, one of the producers of the film “The Passion of the Christ,” shared the spiritual challenges and rewards of working on that project. Fr. Wilfred Raymond of Family Theater, a Catholic Hollywood production company, spoke on “Praying and Playing with the Rosary.” For married athletes, Father Jason Smith led a session on marriage renewal, while Matthew Reinhardt, a former college football player, spoke to singles about living their life for Christ.

Some of the athletes also stepped to the plate to nourish their peers. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jeff Suppan shared his experience of attending the first Vatican Sports Conference in 2005. (The Vatican’s Office of Church and Sport, headed by Fr. Kevin Lixey LC, organized this gathering.) Kansas City Royals first baseman Mike Sweeney gave his personal testimony. Former Major League player Darrell Miller shared his powerful story of his conversion from someone who once tried to lead Catholics away from the Church to a life now centered on the Holy Eucharist.

Other participants included major league veterans Jim Nettles, Bobby Keppel and Rich Thompson, as well as a number of minor league and college players and coaches. Others attending were former professional softball player Lauren Bauer, professional soccer player Luke Vercollone, former collegiate diver Gaelyn Felix, and former collegiate volleyball player Tina Andress. In addition to the many opportunities for prayer and spiritual growth, participants also shared fellowship through leisure time built into the schedule. This gave them the opportunity to share common struggles and blessings, and to bond as a group of disciples preparing to embark on a unified mission.

The ultimate team CAC founder Ray McKenna said a key theme from the outset of the conference, and a central theme of CAC itself, is that the saints, who have the most profound relationship with Jesus, best exemplify a “personal relationship with Christ”. Since sports ministry across the United States is predominantly run by evangelical Protestant and non-denominational groups who frequently use this phrase, McKenna believes it is crucial for Catholic athletes to understand the fullness of a relationship with Christ. Since our relationship with Jesus is only fully realized within the entire body of Christ, the team aspect of sports is a natural tool for this teaching.

Reflecting upon the fruits of the conference, Chris Horn kept returning to the idea of unity, and the leaven Catholic athletes can be when they are strong in their faith and join together to share it. “There are so many opportunities to evangelize,” he said. “Sports in this country are very big.”

Even bigger is the desire of these athletes to share the light of Christ.