Fr. Kris Schmidt, pastor of St. Francis Xavier parish in Camrose, is part of a new generation of Flying Fathers. The “Harlem Globetrotters of hockey” combine faith and fun with a few antics as well. The Flying Fathers Hockey Club played two exhibition games at Elk Island Catholic Schools.
Game 1 was played between the Flying Fathers and students from St. Theresa Catholic Middle School and École Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Feb. 13. The Flying Fathers won 9-6. Game 2 was played against St. John Paul II Catholic School and Holy Redeemer Catholic School on Feb. 14.
Prior to the games, the Flying Fathers spoke with Elk Island Catholic students about faith and being confident witnesses to the Gospel – one of our three pastoral priorities for the Archdiocese of Edmonton.
For more than four decades, starting in 1963, the Flying Fathers were hockey’s version of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. They entertained audiences with a combination of slapstick comedy, self-deprecating gags, pies in the face – and quality hockey – to raise more than $4 million for charity.
The late Fr. Les Costello, who had won a Stanley Cup with Toronto Maple Leafs in 1948 before entering the priesthood, co-founded the team with Fr. Brian McKee of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.