Originally published at National Catholic Register
The priest said that Sotheby’s has waived its normal auction fees in honor of the charity. “That’s major for an auction house to do that,” he said.
Two bottles of rare bourbon signed by Pope Francis are projected to net up to $20,000 for several Kentucky charities.
Father Jim Sichko, a priest in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, and a papal Missionary of Mercy, told CNA that the charity auction came about from Sichko’s habit of bringing Kentucky bourbon to the Holy Father and other Vatican officials during his trips to Rome.
“It is a tradition in my family’s household to always bring a gift,” he said. “And since I’m from Kentucky, bourbon represents our state; it’s our livelihood.”
Father Sichko first presented Pope Francis with a bottle of rare Pappy Van Winkle bourbon in 2018. The exchange went viral, leading the priest to regularly bring the Holy Father a bottle of Kentucky’s most well-known export when visiting the Eternal City.
Last year Father Sichko opted to do a “barrel pick” at Willett Distillery in Bardstown in honor
