Remembering Vin Scully, an ‘amazing’ lector at Dodger Stadium Masses

Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC) organizes Masses for every Major League Baseball franchise, including the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nearly everyone who has served or attended Mass at Dodger Stadium revels in the moments of seeing — and most importantly — hearing Vin Scully proclaim the Word of God as a lector.

“You are nervous because it’s Vin Scully,” Father Richard Sunwoo said. “If you’ve grown up listening to the Dodgers, it’s just, ‘Oh, there’s a walking legend right there’ and he’s telling you he’s going to do the first reading.”

For Sunwoo, it was an experience like no other.

“When the opportunity arose for me to help with Masses, I was super excited,” he said. “You’re led down that tunnel and you’ve got this pass on your neck. I looked like a first-grader going to class for the first time, your eyes are big and wide. You’re just passing by the Hall of Fame trophies, the bats, you’re seeing the jerseys on the wall. Then you’re called to celebrate Mass and it’s a surreal experience when Vin walks through the door and you just don’t know what to say.”

Ray McKenna, the founder and president of Catholic Athletes for Christ, credited Scully with helping his organization immensely, capped by the legendary broadcaster recording a two-disc CD of him reciting the rosary. The recording, which is still available to purchase, is used to raise funds for CAC.

“He sent a thank you note and a contribution to our mission, to our ministry, saying, ‘I want to tell you how important it is for me to have the Mass at the stadium and how much I enjoy being part of this. And I really just want to express my thanks.’ That was such an incredible moment.”

Even visiting players attending Mass at Dodger Stadium were blown away, McKenna said.

“They came back and I don’t really have words to describe how elated they were going to a Mass where Vin Scully was a lector,” he said. “One of them said, ‘It was amazing, Ray. It was like listening to God read the Old Testament.’ ”