Archbishops’ World Series wager raises $20,000 for Catholic education

Archbishop José Gómez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (left) and Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York announced a friendly wager on the 2024 World Series. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA; Jonah McKeown/CNA

CNA Staff, Nov 7, 2024 / 12:25 pm (CNA).

After the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series on Oct. 30 against the New York Yankees, the players and staff weren’t the only ones celebrating the victory — Catholic school students were as well.

Los Angeles Archbishop José Gómez and Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York placed a friendly wager ahead of the World Series to benefit Catholic schools in their given archdioceses. 

More than $20,000 was raised from supporters using the site Baseball Unites. Since the Dodgers won the World Series, the Catholic Education Foundation of Los Angeles will receive 60% of the raised funds, while 40% will be given to the New York-based John Cardinal O’Connor School.

The two prelates also wagered some local treats: New York-style bagels from Dolan and donuts from the iconic Randy’s Donuts in Los Angeles from Gómez. Dolan is expected to give Gómez the bagels during the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fall plenary assembly taking place Nov. 11–14 in Baltimore.

“What a great World Series. Not only because the Dodgers won. Certainly, that was great. But it was also just fun to watch; both teams played such good baseball every night,” Gómez said in an interview with Angelus News. 

“So, thank you to all the players, and a special thank you to everyone who supported our Baseball Unites campaign to help Catholic schools. I’m looking forward to some New York bagels. Go Blue!”

“Congratulations to the Dodgers on a great season and World Series and to my brother, Archbishop Gómez, and I hope he enjoys his bagels,” Dolan told the Los Angeles newspaper. 

“Even more, my thanks to all who participated in our Baseball Unites campaign in support of Catholic education and our great schools. That makes us all winners, especially our kids.”

Two players who took part in the World Series also had ties to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty attended middle school at Incarnation School in Glendale, California. And Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton graduated from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. 

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Catholic Education Foundation was established in 1987 and provides tuition assistance to needy students attending Catholic elementary and high schools in the archdiocese. Since its founding, it has provided more than 230,000 tuition awards in excess of $264 million.

The John Cardinal O’Connor School, meanwhile, was established to provide an affordable, Christ-centered, language-based academic curriculum for children in second through eighth grade with learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, or learning differences.