CLEVELAND — In celebration of a multi-year "Eucharistic Revival" across the American Catholic Church, the Diocese of Cleveland is hosting a series of special "ballpark Masses" across Northeast Ohio. The second of those Masses will take place this Friday at historic League Park, Cleveland's home for Major League Baseball for the better part of six decades.
Bishop Edward C. Malesic will preside over the services, which are set to begin at 7 p.m. Father Oscar Pratt from the Archdiocese of Boston will give the homily, and the Diocesan Gospel Choir will also perform prior to a procession to St. Agnes Our Lady of Fatima Parish on Lexington Avenue, where the traditional Eucharistic Adoration will take place.
Despite rain, the diocese's first ballpark Mass took place last month at Classic Park in Eastlake, home of the Lake County Captains. The third is scheduled for Aug. 14 at the Lake Erie Crushers' Mercy Health Stadium in Avon, while the fourth will be held Sept. 10 at Brookside Park in Ashland.
"The baseball park Masses are sure to be a hit," Father Damian Ference, vicar for evangelization and head of the diocesan Parish Life and Special Ministries Office, said of the events back in June. "Be sure to attend and collect all four magnets."
While much of the original structure is gone, a renovation project within the past decade has brought League Park back to life, hosting amateur games with a turf field where the original diamond once sat. The Hough neighborhood venue hosted the Cleveland Spiders of the National League from 1891-99 and the vast majority of Cleveland Blues/Broncos/Naps/Indians games from 1901-46. It was notably the site of the Tribe's first World Series championship when the club defeated the Brooklyn Robins back in 1920.
Per the diocese, the Eucharistic Revival "invites every Catholic diocese, parish, school, apostolate, and family to be a part of renewing the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist." While all ballpark are free to the public, those wishing to attend are asked to register here.