Flying Fathers
Encyclopedia
The Flying Fathers are a group of Canadian
Roman Catholic priests who regularly tour North America
as a hockey
team, playing exhibition game
s against local teams to raise money for charities
.
The organization was founded in 1963 by Brian McKee and Les Costello
, two priests from Northern Ontario
. Costello was a former professional hockey player, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs
in the 1940s before his ordination
as a priest.
Originally intended as a one-off event, the Fathers became a popular phenomenon, and the organization is still active as of 2005. The Flying Fathers have played 907 games, and have raised over $4 million. Their single-game fundraising record is $240,000 at a game in Toronto.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Roman Catholic priests who regularly tour North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
as a hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team, playing exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
s against local teams to raise money for charities
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
.
The organization was founded in 1963 by Brian McKee and Les Costello
Les Costello
Fr. Lester John Thomas Costello was a Canadian ice hockey player and Catholic priest.He was born in South Porcupine, Ontario, a neighbourhood of Timmins, and played hockey as a teenager, eventually joining Toronto's St. Michael's Majors in the 1940s, winning two Memorial Cups with the team in 1945...
, two priests from Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
. Costello was a former professional hockey player, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the 1940s before his ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
as a priest.
Originally intended as a one-off event, the Fathers became a popular phenomenon, and the organization is still active as of 2005. The Flying Fathers have played 907 games, and have raised over $4 million. Their single-game fundraising record is $240,000 at a game in Toronto.