EDITORIAL

Vin Scully’s Strong Catholic Faith

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It’s the first week of October, which means the Major League Baseball playoff season is about to begin (unfortunately minus the Red Sox). Also absent will be the legendary play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Vin Scully, who died this past August at the age of 94. Almost universally praised in his professional life, Scully was also a devout, practicing Catholic, who, as one author put it, “was unashamed to use his platform as baseball’s most popular announcer for the good of the Church,” and who “leaned on his faith when tragedy repeatedly devastated his family.”
Scully had plenty of trials to deal with in his 94 years, including the death of his father, who passed away when Vin was only 4; the death of his first wife Joan, who died of an accidental overdose at the age of 35; and the death of his 33-year-old son, Michael, who was killed in a helicopter crash in 1994.
But through it all Scully remained strong in his faith, and found comfort and strength in the Church and in the sacraments — especially the Eucharist. “I’ve had some pain in my life,” he said. “Faith is the one thing that makes it work, makes me keep going . . . You know, this isn’t the only stop on the train. There’s one big one we’re still waiting for.”
We pray that for Vin the wait is now over. May he rest in God’s eternal peace.