When the dads of St. Ann's Parish in Coppell, Texas, arrived at Mass on Father's Day this year, they quickly realized they had been pranked.
About 200 men came to Mass wearing an identical green polo — specifically, the Chi Rho Catholic Men's Performance Polo from the Catholic clothing brand Sock Religious.
A video shared on Instagram showed the bewildered dads of St. Ann's laughing at each other and complimenting each other's sense of style.
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"A week and a half ago, we had a wild idea," said the post. If the plan worked, every dad at St. Ann's Parish would show up to Mass on Father's Day, unbeknownst to them, wearing the same shirt.
Working together, the moms of the parish acted like "undercover agents," said the post, "with polos, porch pickups, and secret texts flying."
When Father's Day arrived, the day "did not disappoint."
"The confusion. The double-takes. The utter denial. And then — the laughter. The courtyard was full of joy, belly laughs, and 'you too?!' moments that made it all worth it," said the post.
To the dads: thanks for being the best sports.
To the moms: we pulled off the most epic Father’s Day surprise ever.And to everyone else: never underestimate Catholic moms.
The prank was the brainchild of Kristen Combo, a homeschooling mom of five and a parishioner at St. Ann's.
"I think my favorite part about doing it was how our community came together to do something really fun together," Combo told Aleteia.
The prank started as a group text to her friends, and quickly expanded to "something so big and so beautiful," she said.
"It was so cool to see all the different groups of friends — of all ages! — join in and get their friends on board," said Combo.
And the shirts?
"As far as the polos go, we love Sock Religious and we loved the color of these!"
If you need one for yourself (or your dad), check here.
