Catholic bishops make tasty Super Bowl bet

The two Catholic archbishops from Los Angeles and Cincinnati announced on Wednesday that they’ve decided to engage in a friendly wager over Sunday’s Super Bowl match-up between their hometown teams.

José Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati said that they be joining fans in cheering on the L.A. Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. In a joint video announcement, they said that they decided to “make things interesting,” with a bet that will also help raise money for scholarships to Catholic schools.

Depending on whether the L.A. Rams or the Cincinnati Bengals win, the loser will send the winner a shipment of tasty treats popular in their hometowns. Nothing less than cookies from L.A.’s Porto’s Bakery and a case of ice cream from Cincinnati’s Graeter’s are at stake.

In a show of confidence, if not an outright taunt, Archbishop Schnurr commented, “One of the best parts of the Bengals’ triumph will be digging into the famous Porto’s pasteles and cookies provided by my friend Archbishop Gomez.”

For his part, Archbishop Gomez showed a quiet self-assurance, perhaps due to the Rams’ home field advantage as the game will be played at their own SoFi Stadium.

“I look forward to celebrating the Rams’ victory with the delicious Graeter’s ice cream that Archbishop Schnurr will be sending my way,” said Archbishop Gomez. 

Everyone is invited to “have a flutter” and get in on the action while helping Catholic schools in the process. Visit BishopsBigGame.com or follow #BishopsBigGame on social media to donate to a joint fund that will go to both archdioceses Catholic Education Foundations (CEF). “Bettors” can make a donation in the name of the team they are rooting for. The money will go directly to the program to provide needs-based tuition assistance for students attending Catholic schools.

The CEF of the “winning” archdiocese will receive 60% of the total fund and the CEF of the other archdiocese will receive 40% of the total fund. Each archbishop has gotten things started with a donation of $1,000 to the joint fund. 

“I am so proud of the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the work of the Catholic Education Foundation. Through the generosity of the faithful the CEF is providing millions of dollars of financial assistance each school year,” said Archbishop Schnurr. 

“We may disagree on the winning team, but on Catholic education, our bet is on our Catholic schools in both archdioceses all the way,” added Archbishop Gomez. “I’m proud of the great work of our students, teachers, staff, families and parish communities that make our Catholic Schools great, and for the generous support of the faithful through CEF so that our students have the opportunity to learn and grow to become the leaders of tomorrow.”