Originally published at National Catholic Register
In an Instagram post announcing his conversion to the Catholic faith, former NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward captioned a photo of himself in Rome’s Cathedral of St. Sebastian with the Latin phrase “Nunc Coepi,” or “Now I begin.”
And what a beginning it was for the former Celtics player, who received the sacraments of initiation and first Communion from Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and archbishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.
In the church named for the patron of soldiers and athletes, Hayward “crossed the Tiber,” literally and figuratively, to join the Church of his wife, Robin, and their children.
This week, the former Celtics forward shared his story with EWTN News, revealing what ultimately led him to Rome.
Hayward told CNA in an interview that the idea of having his confirmation in Rome had initially come about as a joke between him and the priest with whom he went through RCIA, Father Marcel Tallion,
