At 6 p.m., nearly 200 people gathered in a west San Antonio elementary school gym to watch Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, according to ESPN. Kahlig Auto Group sponsored the watch party and provided a meal from a local taqueria that included enchiladas, rice and beans, chips, guacamole, salsa and aguas frescas. Folding chairs faced a projector screen, black and silver balloons lined the stage, children waved homemade signs and fans chanted “GO, SPURS, GO” and “DE-FENSE.” Intermixed with those cheers were repeated prayers: “Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.”
The prayers came from members of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, a congregation founded in Italy in the late 1800s with more than 10,000 members worldwide, known locally as the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, West Province, ESPN reported. The sisters have ties to the Spurs going back nearly 40 years and have drawn viral attention during the team’s run to the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks; Game 3 was scheduled for Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, according to the report.
Members of the order have attended Spurs playoff home games, greeted and prayed with players, and been cast by some as symbols of luck or even divine intervention during the team’s late postseason push, ESPN wrote. The sisters also carry out charitable work across the city, including programs for disadvantaged children. The increased attention — photo requests, autographs and pleas for prayers — has been overwhelming for the community.
Sister Bernadette Mota told ESPN, “We don’t want to be an advertising gimmick or anything like that. Our life is dedicated to God.” She added the support has been crucial for a school in a poor area that is “hanging on by an edge,” calling the outside assistance “a real blessing” and “a godsend.”
According to ESPN, Sister Sydney Moss arrived in San Antonio in 2013 and found a provincial house where 36 sisters live, including 20 who are retired. Die-hard fans among them resist turning off the television when the Spurs are still playing: “No,” they say, “we’re watching the game.” Sister Angelita Guzman quietly prayed during games and kept Spurs memorabilia, including a photo with Gregg Popovich. After the Spurs’ 2007 title, Popovich visited the provincial house, spoke with the sisters, posed for photos, played in a charity golf tournament that raised funds for them and asked that they pray for the team, ESPN reported.
