Champion parishioner brings CFL title trophy to his church for all to enjoy

Members of St. Ann's Parish in Abbotsford got a chance to touch a holy grail of sorts in early January.

 

It was not a religious chalice, but rather the holy grail of Canadian football: the Grey Cup.

 

Parishioner Dan Dorazio, the offensive line coach of the 2011 champion B.C. Lions, took the Grey Cup to the parish centre for two hours. A steady stream of fans came to see the gleaming trophy and enjoy a light lunch.

 

"Everyone on the winning team gets to have a turn with the Grey Cup," explained Dorazio, who was born and grew up in Pennsylvania.

 

"I've been a parishioner here all nine years we've been in B.C. so I wanted to share it with the community of St. Ann's."

 

His wife Lisa Dorazio said it's not the first time her husband has had a turn with the historic trophy awarded to the winner of the Canadian Football League's annual championship.

 

Her husband coached five years in Calgary before coming to B.C., "and he's brought it home four out of six possible times."

 

The next day the couple planned to take the Grey Cup to Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Surrey, where Dorazio attends daily Mass during the week.

 

"It would be so much fun if they had some way of tracking where the cup goes in the months after the championship game," mused his wife.

 

As parishioners lined up to take their photos with the cup, which was donated in 1909 by Governor-General Earl Grey, there was much banter and many smiles.

 

"It's lighter than it looks," observed Cory Bailey. He and his wife Monica brought their two children to the event decked out in their orange B.C. Lions gear.

 

"We had a party at our house for Grey Cup and cheered on the Lions. We wouldn't have missed this opportunity," said Monica Bailey, grinning as their son Braden, 3, posed with the cup after his newborn sister, Isabella, had had her turn.

 

Golden Smart, age 9, thought it was pretty generous of Dorazio to share the Grey Cup with everyone.

 

The Grade 4 student smiled broadly and said he couldn't wait to show his Grade 4 classmates his photos with the cup and the offensive line coach:

 

"I thought it would be dull but it's not. I got a bunch of pictures."

 

The event was even open to those of another persuasion, joked St. Ann's pastor and diehard B.C. Lions fan Father James Hughes: "Yes. That's right. We even let Saskatchewan Roughrider fans come to see the Grey Cup."