Penna lends a spiritual hand to Eagles' ride

Boston College coaches and student-athletes work diligently to prepare for the rigors of athletic competition that they go through at the Heights. They work on the physical and technical aspects of the game on a daily basis; but another important component of any coach or athlete's life is the spiritual component - the spiritual preparation necessary to help the body and mind relax and ready itself for competition. Rev. Tony Penna, chaplain to athletics, has become an integral part in leading all in the BC athletics department in this spiritual preparation, and has also become a great resource for BC student-athletes and coaches.

Penna, who is one of the few priests on the BC campus who is not of the Jesuit order, has been a part of the BC community since enrolling in the University in 1966 and graduating in 1970. Unlike his Jesuit counterparts, who reside in St. Mary's Hall, Penna lives in Ignacio Hall among the students and athletes whom he teaches and advises during their college years. Penna is a member of the Stigmatine Fathers, an order of Catholic priests that was developed over 170 years ago in Northern Italy.

The BC alumnus spent 15 years working in the Campus Ministry office at the University prior to his move to the athletics department. University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. and other top University officials presented to Penna the idea of moving to athletics, believing that his visions and talents would benefit the coaches and student-athletes at BC.

"The chaplain who had the job before moved away and the job opened up," Penna said. "Father Leahy and Father Erps asked me if I would mind becoming the chaplain to athletics, and I agreed to do it."

Penna travels with the football team, and performs a pregame mass that draws a wide audience of players, coaches, and other administrative personnel who are part of the travel party. He is adept at picking appropriate gospel readings and tailoring his homilies to the athletes who are preparing for battle.

"It's very hard to take the gospel and fit it to football or basketball, to kind of conform it to a sport," Penna said. "But if you take the athletes and preach the gospel in such a way that you lift them up toward the gospel, so that they see that what they do with their athletic gifts as an opportunity to live out the spirit of the gospel, that is to acknowledge your gift and to use it not for your own good will but for the good of others, then it works that way."

BC senior quarterback Matt Ryan praised Penna's ability as a speaker, and his skill in helping the football team prepare, saying, "At the pre-game mass, he always has great homilies and great insights - things that are important in the lives of college student-athletes and things that are very relevant to the lives of the guys. He's got a great feel for what we go through, and he gives you stuff that you can relate to and he makes you think a lot."

In working with the athletes and talking with them as they balance the rigors of Division I athletics and the academic challenges of a top-tier university, Penna has become a special influence in the lives of many of the young people at BC. He couldn't do his work alone, though. He credits the "first-floor Conte folks" with being his most valuable partners in learning about the troubles and pressures that players and coaches face.

"The trainers, the equipment managers, and the weight room people are my greatest allies, and they spend more time with the athletes than the coaches, administrators, or the chaplain," Penna said. "They are my partners, and they are phenomenal. They are with the athletes 24/7 and they hear everything. Once an athlete, just like any student, gets distracted by some real human exigency, I don't care how good they are at their sport, that drains energy. And so when they point me in that direction, it makes my work easy. I could not do my work without them."

Penna is a fixture in Conte Forum, holding mass every Wednesday morning for coaches, administrators, players, and all Conte personnel. He feels that this is one of his biggest accomplishments during his tenure as chaplain to athletics. And the head coaches agree.

"Father Penna is an inspiration to all of us who work in Conte, whether we are coaches, players, or the janitorial staff, they all seem to gravitate toward this mass every Wednesday," said BC men's hockey coach Jerry York. "What makes Tony even more special is that he doesn't disappear until the next Wednesday; he's always floating around, talking to different people, and I'm always amazed that when I watch him come into the building, everyone stops him, and he chats with an assistant coach, administrator, or a head coach. That's kind of a special quality about him."

The chaplain shared other stories about watching the athletes he works with grow and develop spiritually at the Heights, and about how this gives him a great sense of accomplishment. He has helped the athletes realize how their gifts and talents add value to the University, and also how they can contribute to BC off the field as well.

"When Matt Ryan gave a talk at the ecumenical Thanksgiving service this year, he stood there representing Boston College athletics in a way that was bigger than the football player Matt Ryan," Penna said. "Those are the things that I get most pressed with, and playing a small part in that type of development. And I mean a small part, because so many people are active in these peoples' lives, it's hugely rewarding to me."

Penna has been very involved with the BC men's hockey team during his tenure as chaplain to athletics, and has helped the team find spiritual motivation and explanations during their preparation.

He has been instrumental in helping the team develop a preseason theme to use as motivation for the upcoming season. Last year's squad used the phrase "70x7," which is a biblical reference as the theme for the season.

"This year, for example, the theme is 'Mind the Gap,'" Penna said. "I got that from the trolleys in England, and I thought that was a good image because how do you make a successful step from where you are to where you want to go? And they particularly have been very close to the promised land, and have not been able to make a successful transition there, even though they have had hugely successful seasons.

"So the theme came out this year, not only how they can make that final step and win the championship, but little things like how do you mind the gap between being more successful as a student, as a teammate, as a friend, and they have really taken a look at that and tried to model their lives around that."

The players and coaches all talk about what a significant influence Penna has had in their lives, both in helping the team prepare and in always being open to talk and help people understand what is important in life.

"Since freshman year, my teammates have told me to go to him to talk, because he is one of the most inspirational men you'll ever meet here on campus, and use him as a source to confide in and talk to," said senior hockey captain Mike Brennan. "For the team, he provides a sense of stability, we can go to him to talk about anything, not just hockey or the team, but family. That's a big part of keeping your mental health together too, and he does a great job with that. We are very fortunate to have him."

"I think he's had a fabulous influence on all of us, bringing the Christian way of life to athletics," York said. "He meets with the players individually on a regular basis in his office, but he's always in the weight room or the locker room after a win or a loss, and he's always there. He's really a key part of the success that we've all enjoyed here the last 10 years."

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