Bear blesser
Wheaton priest recalls two years as team's chaplain
A position at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Naperville became a local priest's unlikely stepping stone to being hired by the Chicago Bears.
While Don McLaughlin served as a deacon at the church in the early 1980s, he became friends with parishioner Bob Thomas, then kicker for the Bears and now chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. A few years later, Thomas recruited McLaughlin to serve as the team's chaplain.
(Kate Szrom / Staff photographer)
For the 1983 and 1984 seasons, McLaughlin held Sunday Masses for the team members who were Catholic, including head coach Mike Ditka. The priest, who now serves at St. Michael's Parish in Wheaton, rubbed shoulders with the likes of Walter Payton and Jim McMahon at team breakfasts held after Mass.
"Everyone was excited for me and thought it was a neat opportunity," McLaughlin remembered, saying the parish's three other priests would fill in for him on the Sundays he spent with the Bears.
Although the 55-year-old was born and raised in Indianapolis, he is betting against his cousin that the Bears will win. But his home ties to the Colts will sustain him even if the Bears lose, he said.
"This is a dream Super Bowl for me ... I will be happy whoever wins," McLaughlin said. "I will be rooting for the Bears, but if my hometown wins, I will be happy, as well."
After McLaughlin received his undergraduate degree from Indiana State University, he moved to the Chicago area to work at the Bensenville Home Society for three years. He then attended Sacred Heart School of Theology in Wisconsin and returned to the Chicago suburbs to work within the Joliet Diocese, where he met Bob Thomas.
McLaughlin, who had a license to referee football in Indiana and Illinois before he became a priest, said he has loved football his whole life. While his position as chaplain got him free tickets to every home game, he said now he is content to watch the games on TV.
Without hesitation, he said his favorite Bears game was when he and a friend from Detroit watched Thomas kick a field goal to win a game against the Detroit Lions.
McLaughlin said he enjoyed the easy access to football's front lines, but didn't forget to perform his duties as chaplain by praying for the team's well-being.
"I don't think God has a vested interest in which team wins," McLaughlin said. "I just prayed for the safety of the players and that all would use their God-given talents to the best of their abilities."
Contact Paige Winfield at pwinfield@scn1.com or 630-416-5275.