CHICAGO – Ed Schmit used to tell his kids that his friend Father Bob, the guy who accompanied him to Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, would someday be pope.
"We're like, 'Dad, get out of here' And then it happened one day," Schmit's son, Nick, said before the Chicago White Sox played the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 of the ALDS.
Father Bob is now, of course, Pope Leo XIV. And that seat he sat in during the World Series — Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2 — now bears a plaque commemorating his attendance. A pillar at the top of the section has a full-length photo of Leo as pope, and another of him and the Schmits at the World Series.
"It is pretty cool. My dad would be – he'd be pretty happy," the younger Schmit said. "It's a nice little honor."
Schmit
said his father got to know Leo, or Robert Provost before he became pope, through St. Rita's, an all-boys high school on the southwest side of Chicago. Provost is an Augustinian priest, the same order that started St. Rita's. The two also shared a love for the White Sox, with the elder Schmit a season ticket holder going back to the days of old Comiskey Park.
Ed Schmit and Provost remained friends even after the future pope went to Peru, first as a missionary and later as a bishop. When Schmit's daughter got married, Nick Schmit said Father Bob officiated the wedding, flying back from Peru for the occasion.
Ed Schmit died about six years ago, so Nick Schmit said he and his family are no longer in contact with Leo. But they'll always have a connection at Rate Field.
After Leo became pope, photos and videos of him at that World Series game quickly surfaced. People have been seeking out the seat ever since, and this summer the White Sox added the commemorative plaques after making sure the Schmits were OK with it.
The "Pope's seat" is one of the eight the Schmit family has.
"They're respectful," Nick Schmit said of fans who make pilgrimages to the seat. "They want to take a picture. `OK, have fun.'"
The White Sox have leaned heavily into their heavenly connection, holding a Mass at Rate Field to celebrate Leo and having a "Pope hat" night earlier this season. They also published a letter from Leo the day their wild-card series with the Houston Astros began.
The White Sox swept that series then took a 2-0 lead on Cleveland in the ALDS. Some have given Leo credit, saying it can't be a coincidence the White Sox made a historic rebound in their first full season since their most famous fan became pope. The White Sox are the first team to make the postseason after losing 100 games in the previous two years. (It was actually three 100-loss seasons.)
Asked if he agrees, Nick Schmit smiled.
"We've got the high power of prayer," he said.
And the seat to prove it.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pope Leo XIV might not be at ALDS, but he's with White Sox in spirit
