Flying Fathers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Flying Fathers are a group of Canadian Roman Catholic priests who regularly tour North America as a hockey team, playing exhibition games against local teams to raise money for charity.

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.

[edit] External links

• Flying Fathers
• Kernaghan, Jim. "Flying Father really had wings on his feet", London Free Press, 11 December 2002. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.