It’s exciting news in Kansas City that the Royals may relocate near the city center.  And it is exciting news within the Catholic Community that the proposed site is next to one of its iconic churches, Our Lady of Sorrows, on historic Dutch Hill (Deutsche Hill, named by the German community that settled there in the 19^th Century).

The church is located next to Hallmark, symbolized by its universally recognized crown.  Its founder, Joyce C. Hall, often went to the parish church to quietly reflect amid his hectic days within a busy corporation.  He was inspired by the regal golden crown that beams in the center of the sanctuary looming over the altar and Christ with His sorrowful mother, patroness of the community.  The crown became central to the company’s logo.  In the 1970s, the Hallmark company worked out a deal with the parish to share property, parking, entryway, etc. through permanent leasing and other agreements.

The American Royal, an annual festival in the Kansas City stockyards highlighting agriculture and livestock, rodeo and barbecue, was established before the end of the 19^th Century.  It took its name to mirror the prestigious British Agricultural Society “Royal Show.”  Winners of various contests were crowned as champions. In the 1960s, the legendary Royals name was given to the city’s new Major League Baseball team, and the emblematic crown became a hometown sign of pride to all who pass “The K” while driving on I-70. 

After the Royals won the 2015 World Series, the Kansas City Star published a book entitled “Crowned” in which they paid tribute to the incredibly resilient championship baseball team and the city as lasting partners who believe in perseverance along a journey that often seems lengthy, arduous, and to be a long shot.  But neither lost sight of the crown.  Some fans joke that Our Lady Sorrows, which will loom over Homeplate, is aptly named to get us through long droughts and losing streaks but that her renowned crown will always remind us of a glorious past and future; for believers, that not only applies to this world (or franchise) but the crown of victory that awaits us in the world to come.

Most Catholics know Our Lady of Sorrows Church primarily as a wedding chapel where lots of marriages get started.  It is also worth mentioning that it contains magnificent art frescos of cherubs, angels, saints, and celestial bodies created by Dante Cosentino in the 1940s and 50s.  Though readers will know his grandchildren and great grands as friends and as a family that has succeeded in the produce and grocery business, he was an immigrant from Rosina, Italy, one of twelve children whose father was an ecclesial artist.  Bishop Tom Lillis hired him to paint inside many classic churches in Kansas City.  Though his beautiful works decorated The Cathedral, Visitation, Good Counsel, Redemptorist, and many other sanctuaries, only those at Our Lady of Sorrows remain intact today. 

If plans move forward as proposed, the famous church will become more famous and Royals Pak will tie Crown Center more closely to its celebrated crown. Like you, I hope that Our Lady of Sorrows will also be known often as Our Lady of Victory.