“Give thanks to God for the gift of sport, in which the human person exercises his body, intellect and will, recognising these abilities as so many gifts of his Creator.” - St. John Paul II
On Monday May 24, 2020 the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius gathered for the Memorial Day holiday to play the first annual "Wiffle Ball Classic". Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, spectator sports are in short supply, and this amateur game was shared with the world through livestream on Facebook and Youtube.
Br. Nathan Ford explained “The Canons created this event to share the fun of the day with parishioners and supporters. Though this pandemic has kept us separated, the joy of competition and sportsmanship united players and fans across distances.”
All the men of the community contributed to the success of the event. Transforming the back field into a wiffle ball "field of dreams", teaching the novice from Poland the rules of the game, singing the national anthems, offering color commentary, and managing a livestream for a full 9 innings for thousands of online fans.
Those who missed the livestream of the game can still watch the ‘Red Rascals’ and the ‘Blue Bandits’ play online on the St. John Cantius Youtube Channel.