"Church spirit endures in shadow of Super Bowl hype"

"American Sundays are defined for many by two things: church and football. Fans fidget in the pews as kickoff looms. Players pray before and after games. Many even believe in a sort of God of the Gridiron, surveys suggest — a great handicapper in the sky who decides the outcome of sporting events."

But that has not meant a boom in business for the six friars and 800 or so parishioners who spent months planning for an expected deluge of fans sparing a few minutes for their faith at the church across the street, which has stood there since Phoenix was just a few dirt roads in the desert. 

Michael Arciga, a Patriots fan from Phoenix who came to Mass on Friday, was dismayed to find the pews nearly empty even as downtown filled with football fans. Arciga, who owes his Patriots fandom to a stint at Fort Devens in the 1980s, said he has never prayed for the Patriots.

“They’re already good,” he joked. “No prayers needed.”

For Arciga and others on the less-traveled side of East Monroe Street — even those looking forward to Sunday’s game — the juxtaposition of the elegant old church sitting empty amid the very modern revelry was a little off-putting.

“It’s surprising and frustrating,” Arciga said.