Mike Piazza, Catholic and Hall-of-Famer

Check this out, from National Catholic Register: 

New York Mets slugger Mike Piazza was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday with an emotional speech before 50,000 people in Cooperstown, NY. His day began early with 7:30 Mass at St. Mary’s Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, a short walk from the Hall of Fame. As he left the church, he met with a beaming Father John Rosson, who said, “We have a celebrity in church this morning.”  Piazza asked for and received a special blessing from the priest. Piazza signed autographs and took pictures with parishioners. In his acceptance speech Piazza thanked both his parents and described his Catholic faith as the greatest gift of all from his parents, especially his mother, Veronica: She gave me the gift of my Catholic faith, the greatest gift a mother could give a child, which has had a profound impact on my career and has given me patience, compassion and hope. Pope Benedict the XVI said, ‘One who has hope, lives differently.’ Mom, you raised five boys, and you were always there for me.’ Piazza has often credited his Catholic upbringing as being the foundation of his life.  He was one of the athletes featured in the evangelization movie, “Champions of Faith”, about the journey of Christian athletes.  He regularly attends special Masses held at baseball stadiums around the country for the players and is sometimes a lector.

Read it all 

Photo: Wikimedia Commons