May 19, 2015
Take Me Out to the … Mass!
If you’re in the Washington, D.C., area on a Sunday when the Washington Nationals are playing at home, check out the “Nats Mass” celebrated at noon in St. Vincent de Paul Church by Rev. Andrew Royals ’01. Father Drew inaugurated the tradition in May 2014 as an outreach to baseball fans he saw streaming by the church on their way to nearby Nationals Park. The first Mass drew five people, but by summer’s end there were more than 100, many decked out in Nats gear. After Mass, fans often enjoy hamburgers, hot dogs, and fellowship outside the church. “The most wonderful thing about Nats Mass is that we’re honoring God above all things through our love of baseball, yes, but more importantly, our love of Jesus Christ,” said Father Drew, who also is pastor of St. Benedict the Moor Church in D.C. “Here’s hoping it continues to bring more people to Mass not just here but everywhere. That would be the victory that Jesus would really like.”
