Before Pope Leo XIV sent a letter offering his blessings to the White Sox in the postseason, the Chicago baseball team hosted a special Pope Hat Night at Rate Field to honor the first American pope.

Sister Mary Jo Sobieck, OP, a Dominican Sister of Springfield, Ill., another Chicago native, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game commenced. The 2026 game took place almost exactly eight years after she went viral for her initial ceremonial first pitch for throwing a perfect strike.

Following that viral moment, Sr. Mary Jo saw an opportunity to use social media to discuss her faith and spread God’s word with her “Today’s Pitch” video series. She spoke about these online efforts and that viral first pitch on the Nov. 10 episode of The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM podcast, “All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks” with Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks and co-host Fr. Dave Dwyer.

When asked why she posts uplifting videos online, Sr. Mary Jo said, “Relying on God’s providence has really been the soil that I have grown in and has continued to sustain me and give me the energy and the positive vibe to just always want to share that. But, that comes from home and that comes from sports and always wanting to build people up. So, I’m glad I can do that with faith.”

Hear more of the conversation between Archbishop Hicks, Fr. Dwyer, and Sr. Mary Jo by watching the video above.

This conversation is part of “All Good Things with Archbishop Hicks” on SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel (129) and Catholic Faith Network.

If you have a question for the archbishop, you can send it by email to catholicchannel@siriusxm.com for a chance to be answered on “All Good Things.”