When Laura Daily graduated from college in 2019, she missed being part of a community of like-minded people. So, she took to Google, looking up “Catholic groups” in St. Paul.
When she navigated to the MSP Catholic website, she learned about the Catholic Softball Group, which started in 2015 with two co-ed teams. Open to both experienced players and those simply looking for a fun activity, she decided to check it out.
At her first practice, Daily said “a ball hit her square in the face,” requiring stitches, “but I kept coming back because we were having so much fun, and I enjoyed the game so much, and I found a great community there, and I’ve been playing ever since.” Daily described her experience during a recent interview with “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley.
“It’s a welcoming group,” said Daily, a parishioner of St. Mark in St Paul. “Everyone is OK with all skill levels.”
Joining Daily during the interview was Jamie Wheeler — a parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, softball player and member of the group’s leadership team. She heard about the group during a Theology on Tap session in 2016. She initially joined group members at a Minnesota Twins game, then at a fall retreat and later, a tournament and chili cookoff that sought volunteers.
“They were looking to expand beyond just softball,” for people interested in social or spiritual events, Wheeler said, which is how she became involved.
According to an article posted on The Catholic Spirit website June 22, 2022, group founders first recruited players in 2015, joining a league with two teams that year. They formed their own league in 2019, naming it Catholic Softball Group. By 2022, the group included 16 teams and 192 players representing 63 parishes, with summer and fall leagues.
Wheeler said the softball group has 228 players on 19 teams today, but has room for up to 24 teams.
Opening day starts with “a big group prayer,” Daily said. Before games, the two teams typically pray together “just to encourage keeping Christ at the forefront of our minds and not getting too competitive and just having a good time, staying safe,” she said.
Other “prayer events” are sprinkled throughout the season, but after Thursday games, teams often head to the VFW for drinks and community, Daily said. And sometimes, karaoke.
People have fun together and “it’s a good time seeking the Lord in friendships,” Wheeler said. “It’s great to have friendships where Christ is at the center, where you know you are both trying to be practicing Catholics, and it’s really encouraging just to see the witness of your friends at softball, what they’re talking about,” she said.
Participants are at different points in their faith journey, Wheeler said, with some having a weekly adoration hour and others who “mostly make it to Mass, and some “not religious at all.”
To learn more about the Catholic Softball group and to sign up for this year’s season, visit CatholicSoftball.com. And listen to the full “Practicing Catholic” interview which debuts at 9 p.m. April 7 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. April 8 and 2 p.m. April 9.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with Father Michael Carson, assistant director for Native American Affairs with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who discusses planning underway for this summer’s Tekakwitha Conference in the Twin Cities; and Joe Ruff, editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, who describes his new podcast which features individuals who converted to the Catholic faith.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.
