(292) Fr. Burke Masters: From Baseball Star to Catholic Priest Helping the Church Provide For the Spiritual Needs of Its Professional Athletes

 AMDG

Fr. Burke Masters, Chaplain of the Chicago Cubs

      It is very easy for a Catholic to drift as a professional athlete.  A major league baseball player has to be at the ballpark early for games on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.  Thus 27 teams have chaplains to say Mass at their respective stadiums and council the players, coaches, and employees with their spiritual problems.  At least three of them belong to the Knights of Columbus.  They include Fr. Burke Masters of the Chicago Cubs, Fr. Pedro Rivera (Padre of the Padres) of the San Diego Padres, and Msgr. Thomas Machalski of the New York Mets.  See their interviews and stories at In the Big Inning | Knights of Columbus (kofc.org).  

    All of them bring God’s grace into the clubhouse, help the players grow in the faith, and keep them close to the sacraments during the ups and downs of a 162 game regular season plus playoffs.  Since my brother John is one of Fr. Burke’s deacons and has told me the exciting story of his journey into the Catholic Church and the priesthood, we shall focus on him.  

       Burke Masters played baseball since he was a boy.  Although his parents raised their children as a Protestant Christians, they sent him to a Catholic high school because it had the best baseball program in the area.  This young baseball star was impressed by the beauty of the Catholic Church in his high school studies.  He attended his junior year retreat and joined the Communion line, not knowing that non-Catholics are supposed to put their arms across their chests and only receive a blessing.  Before he could say “I’m not Catholic” the visiting priest gave him his First Communion.  “At that moment, I felt the power of God in such a way that I went home and told my parents I had to become Catholic.”  He entered the Church a week before his high school graduation. 

   The young convert received a baseball scholarship at Mississippi State University where he majored in Math and was one of its starters in the infield.  Mississippi State is a member of the very competitive and prestigious Southeastern Conference.  His career highlight came in 1990 when his team, ranked among the top major college teams nationally, won the SEC Conference Championship with a record of 20 - 5 and qualified for the NCAA Regional Tournament.  

    In the tourney final against Florida State it was the ninth inning, one out, bases loaded, and the count at three balls and a strike.  A double play would end the game.  The pitch was right down the middle and Burke Masters clubbed it for a walk off grand slam home run.  He was named MVP of the Tournament and Academic All-American Player of the Year in 1990.  

    “That moment, I believe, was something God gave me as if saying, ‘Enjoy this. This is your major leagues. I’ve got other plans for you.’ No MLB team drafted me after that year, but I signed with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent.”  He did not impress anybody in the White Sox organization and was released at the end of that season.  “I finally had to realize that my baseball dream was over”….playing in the Major Leagues.  He tried to break into baseball as a front office executive, but that didn’t work out either.  God had other plans. 

Thoughts of becoming a priest did enter his mind, but did not give it much thought.  What solidified the call was the time his girl friend took him to Eucharistic Adoration.  “That’s when I heard this inner voice tell me, ‘I want you to be a priest’”. He asked his steady girl friend, Stephanie to wait because he wanted to enter the seminary to discern his vocation at the age of 30 in 1997.  He gave up a wonderful woman to heed God’s call and they remain good friends today.  Fr. Burke Masters was ordained five years later in 2002 for the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois over which our former Bishop Conlin served as its head.

Fr. Burke Masters rounding the bases at Spring Training and getting in shape with his team.  His flock is not only the people he pastors at St. Isaac Jogues Church in Hinsdale, Illinois, but also the Catholic players of his Chicago Cubs.  Rounding the bases is nothing new for Fr. Masters, having been once a star baseball player for Mississippi State University.  The highlight of his baseball days was the walk off grand slam home run he hit against Florida State that catapulted his team to the College World Series.

Guess what?  Fr. Burke Masters made the major leagues after all!  In 2013 Catholic Athletes For Christ asked if he would be willing to be the Chaplain of the Chicago Cubs.  That was a great fit, having played major college and minor league baseball in the White Sox organization.  The players could identify with him and he with them.

 “But by the time the Cubs made their World Series run in 2016, I had started to bleed ‘Cubbie blue’.  In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, Miguel Montero, the catcher, hit a grand slam to help win the game. That was a Saturday, so when I celebrated Mass the next morning, a lot of media were there to get a photo of Miguel receiving the Eucharist. When the Cubs made it to the World Series, ESPN wanted to interview me before the final two games and asked me to give the team a blessing. I just prayed that the Cubs would play to the best of their abilities, stay free of injuries and that the best team would win.  I was so excited for the guys when, after 108 years, we finally won.”

Let Fr. Masters himself talk about his work as Chaplain of the Chicago Cubs: “The ballpark Mass begins at 9:30 a.m. and is celebrated before every Sunday home game, which occurs about twice a month. For the first year, we had Mass in the Cubs’ family lounge. But then they did some big stadium renovations, and we had to move.  So we have Mass in Section 209 of Wrigley Field, along the left-field line.  Some people call it Mass at the ‘Cathedral’”.

 “It’s a 30-minute liturgy because there will be players, management and stadium staff attending who need to get to work. It’s so powerful to see a big-time ballplayer sitting next to a popcorn vendor. I think it’s really important for the players and everyone else to see that in God’s eyes, the playing field — pun intended — is even.  Afterward, I go to the clubhouse and make myself available to anyone who wants to go to confession or talk. I walk around talking to the guys, getting prayer intentions. When they hear that I played a little bit of minor league baseball, they are more open to talking with me. In fact, I got to work out with the team during spring training in 2016. I was worried I’d make a fool of myself, that I’d lose any credibility as a former ballplayer if it backfired. But I managed to hold my own, and guys were able to see me in a different light.”

Fr. Burke has been a faithful knight.  “I’ve been a member of the Knights since seminary. When I was vocations director for the diocese, I couldn’t go to many local council meetings, but I worked closely with the Knights to promote and support vocations. As a pastor, I see the Knights as such an integral part of a parish and diocese. They’re willing to do anything to help the pastor and the spiritual needs of the parish, which is what Blessed Father McGivney envisioned they’d be — critical support for our priests and bishops.  Look at what Jesus did — strengthening, teaching and then sending forth — and that’s what the Knights of Columbus does with its men for fraternity, faith and charitable works.”

Fr. Masters wrote a fascinating book: “A Grand Slam For God……a Journey From Baseball Star to Catholic Priest” published by Word on Fire; Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007 founded by Bishop Robert Barron.  Mike Sweeney, member of the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame, wrote the Forward.  

Beautiful is the commentary on the inside cover: “Burke Masters had the perfect game plan for his life: he was going to become a Major League Baseball player.  As a star infielder for Mississippi State with a game winning grand slam to help his team reach the College World Series he was well on his way to the career of his dreams.  But little did he know that his life-changing call would not be from a recruiter to join the Major Leagues…..it would be from God to become a priest.  In this page-turning memoir, Fr. Burke takes readers on an intimate personal journey…..from his childhood outside of Chicago, to his success in baseball, to his conversion to Catholicism, and finally to his acceptance of his vocation.  Amid severe doubt and personal loss, he learned to embrace his fundamental identity……not as an athlete, but as a beloved son of God and a spiritual father to God’s people.  Fr. Burke’s story is a powerful reminder that God’s plan for us is so much greater than our own; that it fulfills our dreams in ways greater than we could have imagined; and that if we only have the courage to say yes, every moment is an opportunity for a grand slam for God.  

Furthermore, Fr. Masters gives talks all over the country, including the 2023 Columbus Diocesan Men’s Conference.  You may watch some of his talks on www.youtube.com and search for Fr. Burke Masters.