25 February 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In a matter of days, Kansas City Chiefs kicker, Harrison Butker is experiencing two very different worlds.
Last week he kicked the Super Bowl LVII-winning field goal and celebrated the Chiefs third Championship title. Butker followed that up by attending the championship parade through the streets of Kansas City in front of hundreds of thousands of screaming fans.
This week, the Chief’s kicker is spending time in in silence, prayer, and reflection at St. Michael’s Abbey — southeast of Los Angeles.
“Some devils are only cast out by prayer and fasting. We need to embrace this penance to bring order into all the chaos amongst us,” Butker said in a video posted to the Abbey’s YouTube page on Ash Wednesday. “So, best of luck during this Lenten season.”
Lent lasts for 40 days, from Ash Wednesday to sundown on Holy Thursday. It is a time of preparation for Christians that leads up to the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection on Easter.
Butker is a devout Catholic. It’s something he doesn’t shy away from during the NFL season, or the offseason. Even if millions of eyes are watching him to see if he’ll make a crucial kick, like he did in the Super Bowl last week.
“Obviously I was nervous, but one thing that’s helped me throughout my career is taking a deep breath, praying is something I always do on the sideline to remember that, yes, football is so important, but it’s not the most important thing,” Butker said during an interview with Colm Flynn, a contributor for EWTN, the Catholic news network.
Flynn interviewed Butker for the network at the monastery where he is staying earlier this week. The Chiefs kicker has spent time in reflection at the abbey at previous times during his NFL career, too.
About 50 priests and 30 seminarians studying for the priesthood live at St. Michael’s Abbey, according to the monastery’s website.
Not only did the priests seemingly welcome Butker into the abbey, they’re also incorporating his stay into their message.
“In order to get to be a champion like this man right here, we’ve gotta work hard, mortifying ourselves, coming closer to Our Lord, then becoming a champion on Easter,” one of the priests said in a video while standing next to Butker.
Last year Butker partnered with a subscription service called Hallow to share his faith with others. Hallow is a subscription service that gives users a wide selection of prayers and meditations to listen to, including some of Butker’s.
An annual subscription to Hallow costs $59.99 per year and new subscribers can test the app with a 14-day free trial.
Hallow is available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.