RIP Kobe and Daughter who went to Mass before Dying on Helicopter - a Reminder of the Importance of Faith for Athletes

On January 26, 2020 Gianna Bryant, 13; and her famous dad Kobe, 41 died on a helicopter. Along with them were Payton Chester, 13; Alyssa Altobelli, 14; Keri Altobelli, 46; and Christina Mauser, 38, John Altobelli, 56; Sarah Chester, 45; and pilot, 50-year-old Ara Zobayan were all killed in the crash. . The group had been on the way to a basketball game Sunday morning when the helicopter carrying them crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California. There were no survivors. The teenagers were teammates on a basketball team coached by Bryant and Mauser.

Kobe made Sunday Mass a priority for his family - the fact that he and his daughter went to a 7 am Mass at Church before heading to their sports game is a gentle reminder to us all of the importance of Sunday Church. 
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#BreakingNews RIP Kobe Bryant - Catholic Basketball Star and Daughter Gianna, age 13, Killed in Helicopter Crash -https://www.catholicnewsworld.com/2020/01/breakingnews-rip-kobe-bryant-catholic.html

It was at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church that the Bryant family attended Sunday Mass. Kobe was also occasionally noted to have attended weekday masses as well. One of the last things Kobe did before last Sunday morning’s helicopter crash that killed him, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna was to stop by Our Lady Queen of Angels for the 7am Mass. According to Father Steve Sallot they also took Communion.

In the online magazine Convivium a priest, Fr. Raymond De Souza, writes,

The juxtaposition, terrible as it is, bluntly reminds us that making time for God on the Lord’s day is the third commandment and remains valid. It should prompt all Christians, particularly Christian parents, to think about how they allocate their time on the Lord’s day. For it’s not actually our time is it? The day belongs to the Lord.