High school athlete puts God first

BY BILL DOYLE | CFP CORRESPONDENT

WORCESTER – James Kelly plays football, basketball and baseball for St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School and he’s known for giving total effort all the time.
However, when you ask him what is more important to him, sports or religion, his immediate answer is religion.
“I do sports because I love physical activity,” the 5-foot-8, 160-pound sophomore said. “I love all this stuff, but religion to me is the core. My life, it centers around that.”
James said attending Mass and receiving Communion are better than scoring a touchdown, sinking the game-winning shot, or even winning a national championship or the Super Bowl.
“Over the years,” he said, “I’ve definitely grown closer to my faith.”    
James believes his strong faith helps him in sports.
“Whether we lose or win, God has a plan for me,” he said. “I always work hard, practice as hard as I can, play he games as hard as I can, but even when we lose I know, ‘Yeah, this is tough, but God has a plan.’”
He’s not quite sure what God’s plan is for him just yet.
Last March, he attended a vocations retreat conducted by Father Donato Infante III, the chaplain at St. Paul’s and director of the Office for Vocations for the Worcester Diocese. At age 15, he was one of the youngest students there. He left the retreat with a deeper appreciation for his faith and he’s considering entering the priesthood.
“I would say that if I feel that God is calling me to be a priest, I will,” he said. “Right now, I don’t feel it, but it is a possibility. I think God has shown me these opportunities because he wants me to see what it’s like, but if he wants me to be a priest, I’ll start to see more signs. I feel like I haven’t seen enough.”
At St. Paul’s, James is known for his knowledge of the Catholic faith.
“I would say he’s one of the most religious kids I’ve ever met,” athletic director Jim Manzello said. “You could talk about the Bible with him, he participates at Mass as an altar boy, he comes from a real religious family. He just spills over religion. You can see it.”
Teammates sometimes ask James questions about religion at practice.
“I like it a lot,” he said. “Especially in the teenage years, it’s a hard time for a lot of people and I think they need to be introduced to Jesus at this time to know that Jesus loves them, and we need to turn to him for everything.”
Last fall, a football teammate who said he didn’t believe in God peppered James with questions. Thanks to their conversations, the teammate eventually told James that although he wasn’t ready to accept everything he said, he had come to believe that God had created the universe.
Last fall, James led the team prayers before and after the varsity football games and he hopes to make the varsity baseball team this spring so he can ask the coach if he can lead the prayers again.
Sometimes during games, especially when he’s at the plate or the foul line, he prays silently.
As a member of the youth group at St. George Parish, James reads and reflects on Scripture and watches religious videos. The group also offers retreats and helps at shelters.
At St. Paul’s, James is one of a dozen or so students who participate in a Bible study group run by Father Infante after school on Wednesdays and he’s one of a handful who meet in the chapel to pray devotionals with theology teacher Michael Hoogasian after school on Fridays. (Sometimes, he has to leave the programs a little early to attend football practice.)
Each night at home, James reads a chapter of the Bible and follows Father Mike Schmitz’s “The Catechism in a Year” podcast.
His Catholic upbringing and education have made him what he is today.
“I think it’s given me a moral compass and moral guidance,” he said. “If I didn’t have God, I wouldn’t be able to make the right decisions. It sets like a path.”
James attended St. Stephen School from pre-school through sixth grade and has been at St. Paul’s since seventh grade. He has been an altar server at St. George’s since the fourth grade and serves at Mass at school as well.
In football, James started as running back and linebacker last fall. In basketball, he plays a bit for the varsity, but mostly junior varsity. In baseball, he pitched and played center field and shortstop for the junior varsity last spring but traveled with the varsity in the playoffs.
“Football is probably my best sport because it’s mostly go, go, go, strength, speed,” he said.
Because he plays three sports, he doesn’t play AAU basketball or baseball to further develop his shooting, dribbling and hitting. So, he’s known more for his defense in football and basketball, and for his speed on the basepaths in baseball.
Jason Chavoor is St. Paul’s varsity boys basketball coach and he had James in his eighth-grade English class.
“His effort is phenomenal,” Mr. Chavoor said. “He’s got the will to succeed. He doesn’t let anything slow him down, injuries, lack of talent at times. He tries his best. He gives 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. You never have to worry about James dogging it, you never have to worry about James shortcutting it in anything. On bus rides to games, he’s got his computer open, he’s writing papers. He’s truly a student athlete.”
Catholicism is important to James’ family. His parents graduated from Holy Name Central Catholic High School. His mother, Sarah, then graduated from Providence College and his father, Jim, graduated from St. Joseph College in Philadelphia. Mrs. Kelly teaches religion at St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School and is the religious education coordinator at St. George’s for grades 1-5. Mr. Kelly is dean of students at Leominster High and an assistant basketball and baseball coach at St. Paul’s.
His sister, Maria, is a senior at St. Paul’s who sings in the school chorus and performs in the theatrical productions. She also sings and lectors at Mass at her parish and school. His sister Lucy is an eighth-grader, and his brother Patrick is a fifth-grader, both at St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School. Lucy and Patrick are altar servers at St. George. Lucy is also an altar server at school.
Father Infante and Father Edward Niccolls, St. George pastor, have been big influences in his life, James said.
The interview for this article took place, appropriately enough, in St. Paul’s chapel. On his way out, James genuflected and made the sign of the cross in front of the crucifix.
“I thank God for the life I’ve had,” he said.