The Reverend Ref
SLIPPERY ROCK — The month after Easter is usually a time of rest for Catholic priests. The longer services and extra holiday events are over.
But for the Rev. James Armstrong, this is among his busiest, and most favorite, times of year. The pastor of St. Peter Roman Catholic Church focuses his energies on amateur baseball and the National Hockey League playoffs.
For the 38th year, Armstrong is umpiring in the region, including Little League and high school games in the North Hills. He also referees for football in the fall and used to officiate high school basketball and hockey games.
Armstrong, also pastor of St. Anthony Roman Catholic Church in Forestville and chaplain at the Newman Center on the Slippery Rock University campus, doesn't do as many games as he once did.
"I've cut back as time went on," he said.
However, he has no plans to hang up his cleats. "As long as I can (officiate), I will," he said.
"I've always done it. It's my way to be involved. I started early because I never really played any sports but enjoyed them."
Armstrong said he's been able to avoid serious run-ins with players or fans, but he recalls one incident in which he was umpiring behind home plate and his brother, Joe, was the first base umpire. Armstrong said he nearly called the batter out, but the player ended up reaching first base. While at the bag, the base runner made some nasty comments about the home plate ump.
"Joe said, 'Son, you just made three mistakes: You said that loud enough to be heard, you said it about a priest and you said it about my brother,'" said Armstrong.
Joe tossed the player out of the game.
Armstrong's also been lucky as far as injuries go.
"I've never been seriously injured," he said. "I have been knocked down a few times."
As a fan, Armstrong cites hockey as his favorite sport, but only if it's live."With hockey, being there is much more exciting," he said. "With football, it's better to watch it on television because you're usually so far away."As a kid, Armstrong watched the Pittsburgh Hornets, a minor league hockey team that played in the old Eastern Hockey League. The Penguins weren't formed until 1967."We were just looking for something to do on a Saturday night," he said.Armstrong has remained involved with the National Hockey League over the years as well, serving as chaplain for Pittsburgh events and for local officials and players. His affiliation has allowed him to witness the Penguins Stanley Cup clinching victories in Minneapolis and Chicago in 1991 and 1992.Armstrong's involvement has allowed him to assemble a collection of pictures and autographs of Pittsburgh sports personalities, like Art Rooney. Armstrong proudly displays each piece of history on the walls of his offices at St. Peter and the Newman Center.The local priest also serves on the board of advisers for the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and will become chaplain for the new minor league baseball team, the Slippery Rock Sliders.Armstrong came to Slippery Rock in 1999 to take over the St. Peter Parish after seven years at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in Butler. Before that, he served in the Pittsburgh area, including a stint at St. Peter Parish on the North Side.Armstrong grew up in the North Hills, attended Duquesne University and attended Mount St. Mary's University seminary in Maryland.He also serves as vice president of Intersport USA, a nonprofit organization he founded in the 1980s along with the late Father Phillip Cascia of Hartford, Conn. Armstrong said he met Cascia, who was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize, at the seminary.The purpose is to send amateur leagues into countries where Americans usually wouldn't or couldn't go.Minor league baseball teams, for example, would play games and work with kids in Russia, China or South Africa, for example, he said.
