Well, Noah built the ark to save all the animals.
And Father Brendan McGuire built larger-than-life-size paper mache shark and penguin to root on his beloved hockey team on the steps of his home at the Holy Spirit Church in San Jose.
Together with friends and parishioners Jed DeTorres and Andy Perrucci, the trio cut wood and bent chicken wire, dipped newspaper into a gooey glue and painted the whimsical structures on Sunday, just after the last Mass.
“I promised Joe Pavelski that if they made it to the finals, I’d build a shark,” McGuire said on Wednesday, referring to the San Jose Sharks hockey captain, who is also a member of the church.
The Sharks made history by making it to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in the team’s 25-year history and they’re playing the Pittsburgh Penguins – documented by the priest and his pals by the smaller paper mache object inside the big shark’s mouth. (Perhaps a reference to Jonah and the whale?)
On Monday, the Sharks lost to the Penguins 3-2 in Game 1.
The church is a hotbed of Sharks activity. The team’s trainer, Mike Potenza, “comes all the time,” McGuire said, adding that parishioners frequently offer him tickets to see the games.
Local
For now, McGuire is getting a kick out of the hockey fans stopping by 6546 Crown Boulevard in San Jose’s Almaden neighborhood to pose and take selfies in front of the display. In fact, McGuire's been taking his own selfies, dressed in his collar as well as a teal Sharks jersey.
He may also be praying for a small miracle. Game 2 is on Wednesday at 5 p.m
