The friendly wager between Archbishop José H. Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on the Big Game between the LA Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals was a big win for students in both Archdiocese, with more than $22,000 raised so far for tuition assistance scholarships.
With the Los Angeles Rams 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Archbishop Schnurr will now be sending a gift of Cincinnati’s own Graeter’s ice cream to Archbishop Gomez. Out of gratitude and in consolation, Archbishop Gomez has decided to also send his wager of baked treats from LA’s beloved Porto’s Bakery to Archbishop Schnurr. Since the friendly wager was made with the intention of helping Catholic school students, each archbishop has now decided to share his winnings with students at a school in their respective archdioceses.
“As we said before, our bet was with our Catholic school kids all the way,” said Archbishop Gomez. “They are always winners in our book! We want the kids to get in on the fun to celebrate the great sportsmanship of both the Rams and the Bengals who gave us such an exciting game, and the generous support of all those who donated to the Bishops Big Game challenge.”
Archbishop Gomez will be celebrating his victorious ice cream party with students at St. John Chrysostom school in Inglewood, near Sofi Stadium, on March 1, Fat Tuesday. Archbishop Schnurr will gather with students from Our Lady of the Rosary school in Dayton to enjoy cookies, pastries and other goodies, also on March 1.
The funds collected through #BishopsBigGame challenge will be split between the Catholic Education Foundations (CEF) of each archdiocese. The CEF of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, by virtue of the Rams’ victory, will receive 60% of the money raised while the CEF of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will receive 40%. The website BishopsBigGame.com will remain open through the end of the day Friday, February 18, to receive any additional donations.
“The Bengals and Rams certainly brought their A-games to the gridiron, and the fans of both teams did as well through their generous donations in support of Catholic education, and that is deserving of a real celebration,” noted Archbishop Schnurr. “Archbishop Gomez and I are grateful for the generosity of the people of our respective archdioceses and thank everyone who joined us in our friendly wager. We are delighted to celebrate this moment with at least some of our wonderful Catholic school students, teachers and staff members. We look forward to sharing the love and support of our Catholic communities in the form of delicious Graeter’s ice cream and tasty treats from Porto’s Bakery. A win for Catholic education all around!”
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati (established in 1821) and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (established in 1840) are the presence of the Roman Catholic Church in their respective geographies. Collectively, the two archdioceses minister to more than 5 million Catholics through 496 parishes, 376 schools and numerous charitable ministries.
