by John Sorce
Special to The Leaven
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — For Father Timothy Skoch, the new vocations director for the archdiocese, the handoff in responsibilities when it came to preparing for the 13th annual Pitching for Priests event on July 31 at Legends Field here was quite literal.
“Father Dan Morris came over to my rectory at St. Patrick (where the latter had been serving as associate pastor) and he dropped off all the equipment,” Father Skoch said. “That included three buckets of softballs, a bag of bats and some gloves and jerseys.”
This will be Father Skoch’s fifth year involved with Pitching for Priests, but his first in the “manager” role for Team Kansas.
“It’s about the love of the game for me,” Father Skoch said. “I wouldn’t be putting time into this if I didn’t love sports.”
But being able to combine that love of sports with his faith and priesthood is what makes Pitching for Priests such a special event.
“The game cultivates a moment of leisure,” Father Skoch said. “It’s easy for anyone to step into a ballpark and come together, but not have the main focus necessarily be about the game.
“Whether you are Catholic or not, we want anyone who comes to experience the local church and the joy of the Gospel.”
Tailgating begins at 3 p.m. with stadium gates opening at 5 p.m. this year, which is an hour earlier than previous years.
There will be on-field activities prior to the game, such as a fun run for kids as well as a baby crawl.
Skydivers are set to land inside the stadium at 6:20 p.m. prior to the 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
The game will conclude at 9 p.m.
“This is a family fun event,” Father Skoch said. “I have over 20 nieces and nephews and one of them made a sign last year with words of encouragement and affection. The stadium is almost full and we’re just a bunch of priests.
“There will be priests and religious walking around during tailgating. Then you go into the ballpark and there’s fun runs for the kids and the hot dog race. It’s a beautiful event that is about family, faith and fun.”
Kelly Kmiecik, an administrative assistant in the vocations office, volunteered last year and plans on doing so again this year.
“Last year, my husband and I volunteered for the first time,” Kmiecik said. “We had counters and stood at the gate to get an accurate count of how many people were there. It was such a blast to be able to see friends and meet a lot of people, and I plan on volunteering again this year.”
Father Skoch wants all Kansans to wear red, as that is the color the Kansas priests will be wearing on the field.
He also hopes that anyone considering going ultimately decides to do so.
“If you’re on the fence about going, get to the ballpark, cheer on your priests and help us have a great church moment,” he said.
Admission and parking are free and the event is open to the public, but a freewill offering will be collected both at the ballpark and online. Donations will benefit seminarians on both sides of the state line.
For more information, including the donation link, please visit: archkck.org/vocations-pitching-for-priests.
