Retired NBA player Gordon Hayward converts to Catholicism
A professional basketball player has converted to Catholicism at a ceremony in Rome held just two months after he retired from the NBA.
In a statement released last week, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA announced that recently retired NBA player Gordon Hayward had joined the Catholic Church in a ceremony held on Oct. 1 in Rome, Italy. The archdiocese stated that Archbishop Timothy Broglio performed the sacraments of initiation on Hayward, referring to confirmation and his first Holy Communion.
Hayward was formally initiated into the Catholic Church at the Basilica of Saint Sebastian Outside the Wall with his wife and two of his four children in attendance. The archdiocese said Hayward chose Sebastian as his confirmation name, noting that Sebastian was the patron saint of soldiers and athletes.
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“Mr. Hayward chose ‘Sebastian’ as his confirmation name following a period of discernment through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) under the instruction of Father Marcel Taillon, who serves Archbishop Broglio as Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese,” the archdiocese stated.
OCIA is the process adults seeking to join the Catholic Church undergo, which includes classes where they learn about the Catholic faith.
Hayward, whose career in the NBA spanned 14 years and included stints with the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz, took to social media to share the image posted by the archdiocese following his confirmation. The picture includes Hayward, Broglio, Taillon, Hayward’s OCIA sponsor Maxwell Van Vliet, and two seminarians studying to be priests with the Archdiocese of Military Services, USA.
A caption featuring the Latin phrase “Nunc coepi,” which translates to “now I have begun,” accompanied the photo.
Hayward’s wife, Robyn, with whom he shares four children, posted additional images of her husband’s confirmation on social media.
“Gordon joined the Catholic Church this week and why not convert in Rome?” she asked in an Instagram post accompanying the picture. “It was so incredible, the Arch Bishop of the US military confirmed him into the Church. What a true blessing! So many great seminarians and priests helped with the service and made it possible!”
Images shared by Robyn Hayward included a picture of the couple outside the Basilica of Saint Sebastian and a photograph of the participants in the mass. Her Instagram biography includes a reference to Luke 1:37, which declares, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Hayward’s initiation into the Catholic Church comes after he announced his retirement from basketball in an Aug. 1 X post.
“God has blessed me with an amazing journey, one that has taken turns I couldn’t have expected or dreamed of as a kid in Brownsburg, Indiana,” he wrote before informing his followers that he was “officially retiring from the game of basketball.”
The retired NBA player identified Philippians 4:13 as his “favorite [B]ible verse” dating back to “a young age,” reciting the scripture declaring, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
“I want to thank God for giving me the grace and the privilege to play this game and allowing me to bring my best each and every day," Hayward added. His retirement announcement was accompanied by a caption reading, “Thank you” alongside an emoji of praying hands.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
