The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will play each other in Super Bowl LVIII, and as is common among American bishops during this period; the two bishops of the team's home towns engaged in a friendly wager to benefit charity. The Catholic bishops of the teams cities, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco and Bishop James V. Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, have released the terms of their bet. If the Chiefs take home the Super Bowl’s Lombardi Trophy, Bishop Johnston will enjoy a meal of Dungeness crabs; while a win for the 49ers will win a Kansas City steak for Archbishop Cordileone along with a donation to the local pro-life organization of the winner’s choice. The bishop’s donation choice is Alexandra’s House in Kansas City; which would benefit the work of the perinatal hospice opened in 1997 in honor of a niece, who had died from a rare genetic syndrome just 45 days after birth. Over the years, the hospice has expanded its mission to provide a range of free aid to families experiencing miscarriage, stillbirth, fatal neonatal diseases, high-risk pregnancies and the like.
Staffed by four physicians, a health care ethicist and four parent advisors, Alexandra’s House operates full time — in person, online and by phone — to assist families and their dying babies. Archbishop Cordileone's donation selection will help nurse practitioner Dolores Meehan’s Bella Primary Care, which opened in March 2022 following the closure of Seton Medical Center, the last Catholic hospital in the city.
“Our objective was to be open for the 40 Days for Life Campaign,”. “Sidewalk counselors have been able to refer (to us).” Bella’s services involve primary care, pediatrics, gynecology, pregnancy confirmation and postpartum care, with patient advocacy, house calls, infusion and lab services also available.
Sources: OSV News and FB Pages of the respective dioceses mentioned)
Comments