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:
Newfoundland Rogues basketball team has higher power on the court
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.
“I miss my grandmother, so she’s like the next step there. She’s been wonderful, man. Always been there for me, always been there for the teammates,” he said.
“She’s been good, man. I’m just thankful for her.”
26-year-old Brandon Johnson is a six-foot-six forward from South Carolina.
“The organization loves their players,” Johnson said. “They help us mentally, physically and just building a family. That’s the main thing I wanted to come and be around. It’s been a blessing to be a part of it.”
Morrissey has been in the sisterhood for 60 years and involved in basketball for 50 of those. She used to supervise high school basketball games and travel for tournaments. Through that time, she always believed in the higher power of good sportsmanship.
“We were playing a team that we beat, and at the end of the game, when I went to the middle of the court, our coach, Jerry Williams, invited the team that we beat and they all gathered around,” the sister explained.
“So I had to change my prayer and put in different words to make sure that they were included and invited.”
Despite a win or a loss, all the Rogues players and coaching staff make their way to centre court when the final buzzer sounds, standing arm in arm, listening to Morrissey lead them in prayer.
The team stands at 14 wins and 14 losses as of April 19, but lately, Sister Betty’s prayers seem to working: the team is currently riding a five-game winning streak.
Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
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