Posted on 12/16/2016 5:19:41 PM PST by marshmallow
Washington D.C., Dec 15, 2016 / 03:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- You might have seen an Army chaplain devoutly praying the rosary on the sideline during Saturday's Army-Navy football game. Who was he and what was he praying for?
“I always pray for both our teams, for no serious injury on either team. And I pray for the kids on both teams, and just for their holiness and their salvation,” Fr. Matthew Pawlikowski, chaplain of the United States Military Academy at West Point, told CNA.
“And then I ask for Army's victory,” he added.
Saturday's Army-Navy game was the 117th meeting between the teams, held at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium. It is an annual tradition attended by Midshipmen and Cadets who will serve in the United States military after college.
Army won for the first time in 15 years, 21-17.
Fr. Pawlikowski was seen kneeling on the sideline late in the game during its crucial moments praying a rosary. He noted that he always prays a rosary at the academy's football games, but at Saturday's game against Navy he prayed a full rosary, all four sets of mysteries.
After the game, he admitted that he prayed for the defeated Navy players too.
I was glad that we won, but I did pray for Navy, and especially for their seniors, their 'Firsties.' They wanted to win just as much as we do,” he said. “So what if they've won 14 years in a row? That senior class, it's important to them to beat Army.”
While he has been the senior chaplain at West Point for two years – the first Catholic to hold the position – Fr. Pawlikowski has actually been serving as an active-duty Army chaplain since 2000.
“I love being a priest. And I love being a priest.....
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewsagency.com ...
Nice.
What order is he? Priests in a lot of orders wouldn’t know what a rosary is.
Praying the rosary for a football game ..publicly
I’m curious freeper devout Catholic view
Great story. Thanks for sharing
It was awesome, there was about 4min left in the game.
The PC crowd didn’t have him arrested?
And then , as the very last request, he prays that Army will prevail.
Why not?
There is no PC crowd at an Army Navy game.
There shouldn’t be. I would hope not. But we are talking the Øbama military command structure here.
Great story.
Thanks for posting.
Not a lot of Catholics know that priests arn’t always in religious orders. A designation which a community devotion to a specific charism.
Military Chaplains are actually a diocesan secular priests on loan to a military diocese, since the priests are essentially pastors with a base parish, or deployed into theaters where Military diocese sends them.
I just assumed he was in a religious order, because I didn’t think a diocesan priest would say the rosary. Some military chaplains are from an order, like Fr. Vincent Capodanno was Maryknoll.
I’m not catholic just asking
Worship how u like by all means
If I am not mistaken, the USA armed forces has there own diocese.
The founder of my parish was a military chaplain during WW 2.
Army.
Diocese priests focus more on liturgy of the hours. Have a deacon friend who has to do it since he became a parish deacon back early in June this year.
The Rosary, now that's Catholic. Happy to explain if you like.
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