Archbishop Chaput and Cardinal O’Malley Make a “Friendly Wager” on Super Bowl LII

Today, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Archdiocese of Boston jointly announce the following.

Super Bowl LII will bring together two of the great sports teams in America for the chance to claim the Lombardi Trophy for their fans. The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots franchises are both deeply involved in their communities. Today, Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia, and Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, entered into a friendly wager in support of their hometown teams.

If the Patriots win, Archbishop Chaput will make a $100 donation to Catholic Charities Boston, which provides a broad spectrum of social service care to thousands of needy individuals and families in Massachusetts. As an example, $100 would help a family of four to pay their heating bill following the extreme cold last month. To learn more about Catholic Charities of Boston please visit www.ccab.org.

In the event the Eagles win, Cardinal Seán will make a $100 donation to Saint John’s Hospice, which provides emergency services to the homeless in the City of Philadelphia along with direction toward achieving a stable residence. To learn more about Saint John’s Hospice please visit www.saintjohnshospice.org.

For good measure Archbishop Chaput and Cardinal O’Malley, friends and classmates from their seminary days, added Philadelphia cheesesteaks and Boston lobsters to their friendly wager.

In a joint statement the Cardinal and the Archbishop said, “Each year the Super Bowl is viewed by millions of people throughout the world. In the spirit of friendly competition, we have issued our wager because we have confidence in our teams and, more importantly, based on our admiration for the commitment of the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots to assist their local communities and respond to the needs of the less fortunate.

It is a blessing for the people of Philadelphia and Boston that Jeffrey Lurie and Robert Kraft have always held service to others as a foundational principle of their personal and professional lives. We pray for a safe and enjoyable Super Bowl for both teams and all spectators, and that the gifts of God’s love and peace may bring us closer together as a society.”

Archbishop Chaput’s prediction: Eagles 24, Patriots 20
Cardinal O’Malley’s prediction: Patriots 34, Eagles 21

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Editor’s Note: For additional information regarding the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit www.archphila.org. For further information regarding the Archdiocese of Boston, please visit www.rcab.org.