The Chicago White Sox are embracing the city’s most prominent sports-and-faith connection: Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong allegiance to the South Side baseball team.
On Tuesday, Aug. 11, prior to the White Sox game against the Cincinnati Reds at Rate Field, fans will receive a special piece of memorabilia — the “pope hat” that features the team’s logo in celebration of the pontiff’s fandom, according to the team’s website.
Everyone in attendance will get a hat — about 40,000 of them are expected to be distributed at the stadium entrances.
The whole evening is designed to honor Pope Leo’s Chicago roots and his ties to the Augustinian order. Before becoming Pope Leo, Robert Francis Prevost joined the Augustinians at 22 years old and was trained as an Augustinian scholar in Chicago and in Rome. In 2001, he was elected prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine, the order’s top leader, and was confirmed in 2007 for a second term.
The game on Tuesday will also feature a ceremonial first pitch from Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, whose first pitch for the White Sox in 2018 went viral. Sobieck, who used to played softball in high school and college, balanced a baseball on her arm before kicking it up and throwing a strike. The clip spread across social media, earning her a place in White Sox lore.
The idea for the pope-themed hat and game was conceived in April when Pope Leo was named the new pope.
“We wanted to do something here in Chicago that is a way for our fans to showcase how happy they were that Pope Leo is not only a homegrown South Sider, but is a White Sox Fan,” Mike Downey, the White Sox senior director of marketing and promotions, told EWTN News Nightly.
Downey said he was cautious about doing anything that would appear sacrilegious or disrespectful, so he turned to a priest for advice. Eventually, the team settled on a White Sox-branded miter, a tall ceremonial hat worn by Catholic clergy.
Initially the thought was that only fans in a designated section would wear the hats, in order to not obstruct the view. But the promotion went viral and the White Sox marketing team decided to give away the hat to every attendee of the big game.
The team hosts other themed promotions that include Nickelodeon slime bucket hats and Pokemon jerseys.
The pregame festivities will continue with a performance of the national anthem by legendary White Sox organist Nancy Faust. The call to “play ball” will come from former White Sox pitcher Donn “The Pope” Pall, whose nickname provides another connection for an evening centered on the pontiff.
Among other notable parts of the evening, Chicago White Sox Charities will donate $14,000 to the Midwest Augustinian Province, the religious order Leo belonged to during his years in Chicago. The check will be accepted by Prior Provincial Father Tom McCarthy.
During the fifth inning, fans will join in the traditional greeting “Peace Be With You,” led by a church pastor of a Chicago Catholic church.
In 2005, Pope Leo attended Game 1 of the World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros at then-U.S. Cellular Field. Last year, during the general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo wore a White Sox baseball cap over his white cassock.
Also last year, Rate Field hosted a special Mass along with a celebration, in which Pope Leo was referred to as a “Son of Chicago.” In his video message, Pope Leo encouraged the fans to “continue to build up community, friendship as brothers and sisters in your daily lives, in your families, in your parishes, in the Archdiocese and throughout our world.”
