TAMPA, Fla. — There’s a weekly tradition at Christ the King School in Tampa, where Father Len gives the students an update on how the Lightning are doing and what’s in store for the games ahead.
“God calls individuals to serve as a priest, and I’m a priest who loves hockey; it is, in my opinio,n the greatest sport ever,” said Father Len.
Father Len has been the pastor at Christ the King Catholic Church for the past 13 years. He said forming a bond through hockey helps to better relate to the students and parishioners.
“With sports, sometimes you lose, and sometimes in life there are things that don’t go our way,” said Father Len.
Every Friday, Father Len speaks to the students during morning assembly, updating them on the team and even starting “let’s go Bolts” chants.
The enthusiasm often carries over into the rest of the school day, with hockey-themed learning activities, as students wear Lightning shirts and jerseys.
“If I can bring any sort of Lightning hockey into the classroom, I will,” said kindergarten teacher Jennifer Buckley. “Being a Tampa Bay Lightning fan, and having Father Len also being a Tampa Bay Lightning fan, it gets the kids that special, unique connection with him, to just bring them a little bit closer to the church.”
Students say they have gained a better understanding of hockey and have become bigger fans of the Lightning because of Father Len.
“It also has some nice connections with Catholicism when you think about it, if you do something wrong in hockey, you go to the penalty box for a couple of minutes, if you do something wrong as a catholic you go to confession,” said Father Len. “To love your neighbor, even if they are the stinking Florida Panthers.”
Inside his office, Father Len has signed hockey sticks alongside a photo of him with the Pope.
“Sometimes the perception of priests is kind of two-dimensional, all we do is pray the rosary and sing religious hymns and so forth, but we are real people who have real interests,” said Father Len.
Tampa Bay 28 asked Father Len if it’s all right to pray for your favorite sports team.
“It is, I’m not sure God is that interested in answering your prayer for a hockey game, but it doesn’t hurt,” said Father Len. “I remember a few years back, they were struggling, and the GM at the time invited me to come down and bless the ice and hope that that might help them win.”
Father Len said he is optimistic that the Lightning will be back in the Stanley Cup Finals soon, and he’ll be ready to debrief the students on the games during his weekly appearance at the morning assembly.
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