Summer fades into fall and football.

En Español

By Goyo López

Unbelievably, this is our third issue. Time has flown and the summer is but a memory. And the arrival of sports like football, volleyball and cross-country, as well as the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, denotes the change in seasons for people like me.

So where am I headed with this analogy? Does a correlation exist betweensports and Catholicism?

Recently, a query came my way during a local radio program about how mynew job had impacted me. Hmm, the question caught me off-guard.And it made me think. My dominant, overanalytical characteristic quicklyascended to the forefront and took hold of my psyche.

Have I changed? If so, how have I changed? The immediate response that day was that I felt I was becoming, or at least making the effort tobecome, a better person.

Upon further analysis, I also discovered that I have a great deal in common with people of all walks of life. Working for the Diocese of Laredo has yielded numerous chance encounters with total strangers andhas rekindled old friendships.

One of these friendships is an elementary school principal, Sr. Mary Helen Archibald, OSU, who recently celebrated her Diamond Jubilee after serving this communityfor more than 60 years.

During one conversation with her, I recalled visiting the Ursuline
Sisters at their old convent in Century City, now the present-day Holy Spirit Retreat Center, it is where they would often pray for, among manymore important intentions, the Dallas Cowboys.Her affinity for sports was not limited to America’s Team, though.

“I remember I used to cheer so hard at all our games that I would tell the children that I was more tired than they were,” said Sister Helen in her familiar Boston accent. “I used to go to all the games. They were great.”

The source for this edition’s cover also loves the Cowboys. A fervent fan, Sister De Lellis Treviño doesn’t miss a game. Need I remind everyone that she used to be a high school cheerleader at the old LaredoHigh School?

The affinity for the pigskin isn’t limited to our religious sisters. On any given Friday night, you might see Msgr. Alex Salazar rooting for our local boys. You can usually catch him in the bleachers supporting parishioners like Joel López, Tommy Ramirez, Gilbert Gomez, IsidiroGarcia, Bobby Miranda, Julian Rodriguez, Robert Chaney, Brad Hopkins and LISD Athletic Director Sylvia Barrera.

Some padres even have autographed football helmets as tokens of appreciation. Father Richard Guerra, OMI, prominently displays a La Feria football helmet in his living room as a symbol of the integral role he played in the team’s spiritual formation. Father Guerra, a Carrizo Springs native and the current pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Eagle Pass, remains involved with the Eagle football program.

If you talk about the Eagles however, then you have to mention Father Richard Beck, OMI. The retired Oblate served as pastor of Our Lady of Refuge for nearly a decade during which time he became a treasured member of the football team.

“The kids loved him,” emphasized Fr. Guerra. “You can’t talk about Eagle Pass football and not mention Fr. Beck. He played a very important role.”I guess sometimes we forget that clergy members are human, too. We often think of them as priests, deacons, sisters and brothers first and rarely consider that they may share similar interests with us. Like sports or the great outdoors. Or music. Or reading. Or traveling. Well, you get the picture. We all have more in common than not.

-Gregorio “Goyo” Lopez is editor of La Fe, the magazine of the Diocese of Laredo

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