LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles and Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati are backing their home team in Super Bowl LVI, but they’ve also placed a friendly bet on the outcome of the showdown. February 13 between the Rams and the Bengals.

The Prelates announced the bet in a joint video uploaded on February 9.

For his part, Archbishop Gomez offered pastries from the beloved Porto bakery of the City of Angels. For his part, Archbishop Schnurr presented a case of Graeter’s ice cream from Cincinnati.

“I can’t wait to celebrate the Rams victory with the delicious Graeter ice cream that Bishop Schnurr will send me,” commented Bishop Gomez.

“One of the best parts of the Bengals’ triumph will be tapping into the famous Porto pastels and biscuits provided by my friend Archbishop Gomez,” Archbishop Schnurr replied.

The Prelates are also encouraging Catholics to get involved in this friendly exchange by donating to each Archdiocese’s Catholic Education Foundation, or CEF, in the spirit of the big game by visiting www.bishopsbiggame.com.

“Or follow #BishopsBigGame on social media to see how you can be part of the excitement and donate to support Catholic school students on behalf of your favorite team,” a press release on the Episcopal Bet read.

“The CEF of the ‘winning’ archdiocese will receive 60% of the total funding and the CEF of the other archdiocese will receive 40% of the total funding,” he said. “All proceeds collected will go directly to the respective CEFs, which provide tuition assistance based on the needs of students attending Catholic schools.”

To kick things off, each archbishop donated $1,000 to the common fund set up to receive all donations.

“I am so proud of the Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the work of the Catholic Education Foundation. Through the generosity of the faithful, CEF provides millions of dollars in financial aid each school year,” Bishop Schnurr said.

“We may disagree on the winning team, but on Catholic education, our bet is on our Catholic schools in both Archdioceses to the end,” Bishop Gomez added.

“I am proud of the excellent work of our students, teachers, staff, families and parish communities who make our Catholic schools great,” he said, “and of the generous support of the faithful through CEF so that our students have the opportunity to learn and grow to become the leaders of tomorrow.

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