“As creatures of habit, some 49ers players have told me they haven't missed Mass in like nine years, whether in-season or offseason. Being able to attend Mass is a reminder that just helps them stay grounded, stay humble.”
Welcome to a new series, "Fields Full of Grace: The Faith at Play," casting a spotlight on the devotional practices of college and professional athletes and coaches on and off the field.
By Jay Sorgi
Father Steve Kim has witnessed 6-foot-5, 300-pound men show their vulnerability as they feel the anticipatory emotions that come mere hours before the most important moments of their football lives.
“We need the constant reminders of the bigger picture,” says Fr. Kim, the principal of Saint Joseph’s Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California and the Catholic team chaplain for the NFL San Francisco 49ers.
Kickoff Mass
Father Kim typically celebrates Mass for 49ers players, coaches, and staff within 24 hours of kickoff at home games played in Santa Clara, and offers the same for visiting teams who travel to play in the Bay Area.
“As creatures of habit, some players have told me they haven't missed Mass in like nine years, whether in-season or offseason,” he says. “Being able to attend Mass is a reminder that just helps them stay grounded, stay humble.”
He admits that in those moments of pregame anxiety, it can be hard for a Mass attendee to focus on God and not the upcoming game.
“Last year, every time I would celebrate Mass, a coach would be in there with his notepad,” he recalls with a smile.
Spirit is working
Yet Father Kim’s influence, and the Holy Spirit through it, must be working, seen in the gridiron warriors and high school student-athletes at his Masses. The 49ers are currently 9-4 in the NFC West.
“There are players who are very dedicated to the Blessed Mother,” he says. “I know one player has tattoos of the Rosary. And Protestant players aren’t as shy about sharing their faith, either. That’s where our Blessed Mother comes in. In her apparitions and throughout Scripture, she’s very subtle. A lot of Catholics are quieter, but perhaps deeper in our faith.”
Yet Father Kim, who regularly turns to the Rosary, has witnessed athletes share both vulnerability and care in those tense hours before competition.
“One of our student-athletes was in the chapel the other day praying a Rosary,” he recalls. “I asked, ‘Hey, what's going on?’ He said, ‘I'm just praying for the opponent, that they arrive safely and then we have a good game.’ I've never heard that!”
Priesthood, not football
Born in Korea, Father Kim and his family emigrated to America and the Bay Area around the time he turned 7 years old, just after the last Super Bowl title for Joe Montana in a 49ers uniform.
He dreamed of becoming a professional athlete himself while seeing Steve Young’s 49ers tear up the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX on Jan. 29, 1995, but realized his pathway there was a different sport.
“My family told me, ‘We have no athletes in our family tree, and you're not going to be 7 feet tall or bench 300 pounds, so the only chance you might have at a college scholarship is golf,’” Father Kim admits.
Golf ministry
He found out that the PGA Tour was not his calling, though he can play well enough to hold his own at charity events and in rounds he plays with school and charity supporters, creating opportunities for accompaniment and ministry.
“The golf course takes people out of their element, so you're not in somebody's office,” he says. “You're out there with nature, and you can have a good conversation with somebody going through issues in their life.”
Those conversations also happen with 49ers players who have been able to break down their walls with Fr. Kim after seeing his continual accompanying presence on Saturday night pre-game Masses.
“A lot of times, maybe after Mass, they want to go to Confession. They want to have a conversation, and I’m available,” said Father Kim. “With others, we've shared contact information and had phone conversations.”
Gift of presence
Father Kim even gives that gift of presence, as well as priestly ministry, to visiting NFL teams. Perhaps one incident taught him that he may need to be a little more discerning of what information to divulge during Mass.
“I remember helping the Green Bay Packers out for a Mass before a Niners-Packers playoff game,” he says. “They told me their team chaplain was sick, so I helped out. They thought I was some random priest. They were super-nice people, until I said, ‘Hey, it’s so nice that I’m with the Niners, but that we all gathered for prayer.’ And then the tone changed!”
Father Kim has had 49ers players visit his school and share examples of faith, and he particularly admires the Catholic faith lived by Hall of Fame safety and current 49ers General Manager John Lynch.
Over the years, Fr. Kim's relationships with the Niners often have a give-and-take of faithful influence, one that continually brings him back to his roots and forward in evangelization to athletes who are often in the midst of preparing for the most important moments of their professional career.
“To be part of a team,” he says, “is an opportunity to show the Good News, the joy of the Lord, right through the intercession of our Blessed Mother.” Amen.
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