Meet Sister Betty, the courtside nun who prays for the Newfoundland Rogues
CBC
The roar of the fans in a stadium may provide motivation and fuel for some basketball players, but Sister Betty Morrissey believes that true power lies in silence.
"I go in the dressing room, I say a prayer before and I say a prayer after," Morrissey says. "And when I go in … they're very quiet and you know their souls are being listened to."
Morrissey is the chaplain for the Newfoundland Rogues basketball team, which was established in 2021 and in its current season competes in the TBL, or The Basketball League.
Morrissey is at every home game at the Mary Brown's Centre in St. John's, in a seat behind the visitors' section. She proudly wears a yellow Rogues jersey with the number 21 on the back. Draped around her neck, hanging down her front, is a necklace with a crucifix.
Her all-access pass simply says "Sister Betty."
Rogues owner Tony Kenny asked Morrissey to help guide the team in Catholic prayer at the beginning of each game in the locker-room and after the final buzzer at half court.
Having a nun on the team isn't uncommon, though: Most professional sports organizations, including all 30 NBA teams, have a team chaplain.
"I feel when I go in or when I'm with them, the quietness tells me that they are listening and are taking in every word that I say," Morrissey says.
"So I prepared some prayers for them, and I prepared the prayers in the sense that I wanted them to listen and to be cared for. To understand that they would be cared for here, as they would be at home."
WATCH | Sister Betty Morrissey brings the Newfoundland Rogues some peace and kindness, courtside:
Morrissey's compassion comes out when she speaks, but she's a little less quiet when the Rogues score a big basket. Her face lights up as she cheers on the team. While it might be surprising to outsiders, she said everyone who knows her thinks the role is the perfect fit for her.
Morrissey held her book while being interviewed at half-time during a recent game. The words "Prayers for Basketball" are marked yellow by a highlighter.
"It's important for the people on the team. It's important to the young men," she says.
Jacorie Archie, a 23-year-old shooting guard from Jacksonville, Fla., first stepped foot in Canada in January. He says that St. John's and the Rogues's fans are treating him well. Archie is especially appreciative of Sister Betty.
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