St. Louis, Mo., Mar 16, 2024 / 09:21 am (CNA).
Super Bowl-winning kicker Harrison Butker shared a simple — but countercultural — message when he delivered a graduation speech at his alma mater, Georgia Tech, last year.
“Get married and start a family,” the Kansas City Chiefs NFL star told the new graduates.
Outspoken about his Catholic faith for several years, Butker garnered headlines during the 2023 Super Bowl when fans noticed he was wearing a scapular — a brown woolen sacramental from the Carmelite tradition, worn around the neck as a sign of consecration to Mary.
In addition to Butker’s devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass, the 28-year-old father of two frequently promotes his pro-life convictions as well as the importance of marriage and family life, frequently emphasizing the importance of prioritizing his vocation as a husband and father.
In an interview Friday with Mark Irons on “EWTN News in Depth,” Butker said he wants to encourage men, especially fathers, to “be courageous, to not be afraid to be the leader.”
“It’s something that we struggle with, I think, a lot of times to go outside of our comfort zone and to say, ‘You know what? God has called me to be a leader, and to lead by example. I’m going to lead my household and I’m going to lead outside the world when I’m evangelizing.’ So that’s something that I’m very passionate about,” Butker told “EWTN News in Depth.”
“I think our Lord needs to be king. He needs to be front and center. And as Catholics, we have to be unapologetically proud of our faith and of Jesus Christ.”
Addressing several topics in the interview, Butker spoke out against the violence that erupted last month at the Feb. 14 parade in Kansas City celebrating the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory. A dispute between revelers escalated into a shooting that claimed the life of Lisa López-Galván, a local radio DJ, mother of two, and a parishioner at Sacred Heart-Guadalupe Parish in Kansas City.
Butker said he later learned that López-Galván was wearing a football jersey with Butker’s number when she was shot. He said he subsequently gifted López-Galván’s family one of his own jerseys, and she was buried in it.
Butker said although he didn’t know López-Galván, he said he hopes that “she appreciated the fact that I was a Catholic, that I was outspoken for my faith.”
“To be able to receive that encouragement, that love, even though I never met her, I heard that from her family, how much she was encouraged by me and loved all my work. That’s just very encouraging for me to continue on the path that I’m on and to be never unwavering in my beliefs,” Butker said.
Expressing deep sorrow over the violence, Butker said the shooting incident demonstrated the need for strong father figures to set positive examples.
“I think we need strong fathers in the home. I think we need men that are leading, that are setting good examples, that are teaching the young men in our society that violence is not the way to handle our disputes,” he said.
Butker was asked about another recent news item, also from February, whereby Catholics expressed outrage over a controversial and irreverent funeral service for a well-known transgender advocate that was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan — who oversaw a Mass of reparation at the cathedral after the funeral — later said that the cathedral “had absolutely no idea about this” and that the archdiocese does not “do FBI checks on people who want to be buried.”
Butker said he sent Dolan a letter encouraging him to take a “strong stance” against the irreverent actions that took place during the funeral.
“We need men that are leading saying, ‘This is not right. This is wrong. As Catholics, we will not accept this.’ We need to take a hard stance. I think sometimes we value what the world says about us instead of what Jesus Christ says about us,” Butker said.
Addressing the ongoing and soon-to-be culminating Eucharistic Revival taking place in the United States, Butker said he personally was encouraged in his belief in the Eucharist when, while in the process of returning to the faith, he attended a Catholic conference and got the opportunity to spend time in Eucharistic Adoration with thousands of other people.
Butker said the truth about the Eucharist “can’t be promoted enough.” “I think a lot of Catholics who prioritize adoration and time with our Lord in daily Mass and daily Communion and Confession…I think they see this big growth in their spiritual life, because they are allowing themselves to fully immerse themselves in the Church and her sacraments.”
“I’m very excited for the Eucharistic Congress,” he added, referring to the upcoming national event set for July 17-21.
Asked about Taylor Swift — the ubiquitous pop star currently dating teammate Travis Kelce — Butker described her as “so humble and so gracious” when he met her for the first time at a New Years Eve party.
“I was a little nervous to meet Taylor Swift. I mean, it’s Taylor Swift, so maybe I’m a ‘swifty’ if I was nervous to meet her, but it was a great experience, and I can’t say enough great things about her,” he said. “And I hope [she and Kelce] get married and start a family.”
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
With reference to the blasphemous ‘funeral’ service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Cardinal Dolan said that the Cathedral had “absolutely no idea about this.”
I find that impossible to believe. Am I calling the Cardinal a liar? Yes. If however he was telling the truth – there is still NO excuse for what happened – not now, not ever.
I like Butker, altho I am not a Chief’s fan. His being an advocate of the Latin Mass also speaks well of him.
Even though I’m 66 and not into “pop” music or culture, I’m still so glad to hear Mr. Butker say positive things about Taylor Swift. I think there is much more good than “bad” about her. Her generosity to her staff and to her audiences is commendable. Her various comments supporting abortion are troubling, but…it’s very likely that she has never really been educated about what actually happens during an abortion. Lots of people in the arts were not strong science students while they were still in school and many opted out of science and math entirely. I know that Ms. Swift started singing professionally when she was just a teenager (country music). I’m hoping that as she continues to associate with Travis Kelce and the many Christians involved with the NFL and the KC Chiefs, that she will come to learn the truth about abortion. As for her talent–I think she will continue to develop her voice and her repertoire and eventually expand to other musical styles than “pop” and country. It is extremely difficult to be a open Christian in the entertainment field–a field that is closed to traditional religion and open to every kind of cult and “spirituality” that comes along, and where money flows like water and high-end living that may include every kind of sinful practice is the norm. It’s also difficult for superstars like Swift to be involved with a “local church”, not only because of the logistics of avoiding super fans, but because of the full schedule of the star. I have a daughter who works (successfully) in the entertainment field (in management, not performing), and it’s a tough field for those who are serious about their faith–but it’s also a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate the love of God through actions and then words, and of course, prayers–even the biggest and most atheistic “stars” are grateful when a peer tells them that they are “praying for them.” Ms. Swift and other “stars” need our prayers!
Mrs. Whitlock;
At the risk of sounding like a virtue-signaler, how about this – each of us devotes our next Rosary to Ms. Swift.
Join us, anyone?
What a great idea! I like to pray for my favorite celebrities! I’ll do it–pray for Taylor (and Travis Kelce)!
My older daughter has been working in theater professionally since her college days (stage management), and she has some really good stories about professional performers and religion. She was backstage doing her job during one rehearsal, and her bracelet, which was a set of beads with various pictures of Our Lord Jesus, broke and the beads rolled out onto the stage. She was terrified what the director would say (normally, backstage workers do not wear jewelry because of the risk of it breaking and rolling onto the stage!). Like many people in the theater business, the director had a lot of rituals and looked for “signs” that his shows would go well or bomb. This time, he saw the beads with the pictures of Jesus, and said, “Well, this is a good omen for the show–we have Jesus all over our stage!”
So there is definitely openness to religion in show business–sadly, it is often a non-Christian form of religious practice. Entertainment professionals definitely need a lot of prayer–and it works! My favorite actor was into alcohol and drugs when he was young–and he was dating a woman (an actress) who was serious about her religion. When he asked her to marry him, she told him, “No way! You get sober, then get serious about God and church, and I’ll think about it.” He did! And they are currently known as one of Hollywood’s most stable and loving marriages and families even though he often plays the part of the villain in TV shows and movies–but not always! Great guy! He often posts Bible verses and Christian messages on his Twitter (or whatever) account all the time, and talks openly in interviews about attending Mass.
Again, thanks for the idea!