The Rev. Tom Molini is the designated hitter for the Archdiocese of St. Louis when it comes to its new ban on alcohol at youth-related events. The pastor of St. Gerard Majella Church in Kirkwood, Molini has a story line for the policy change, and he’s sticking to it.
There was no one event or events that led to this change—the policy was just up for review, he says—and the Presbyteral Council in charge decided to make the change. Now, the policy is that “alcohol is not to be served to anyone or brought in by someone, including adults at any event directed primarily to and for minors. This includes elementary and high school events, CYC events, Scouting activities, etc.”
“The policy is up for review every two years,” says Molini, who was a member of the advisory committee. “It was just up for its two-year review. There was no incident—there was no ‘thing.’ It was just up for its two-year review.”
A council consisting entirely of priests oversaw the review. The previous policy more or less discouraged the sale and presence of beer—or full bars, for that matter—at any child-centered event, which often means sports, mostly soccer and basketball.
The non-specific explanation for the policy change has led many people to suggest that it appears to be a solution in search of a problem. Talking to a mix of parents and coaches this weekend at various games, as well as away from games, the reaction was mostly bewilderment, irritation, and finally, resignation.
“When word comes down from Lindell, that's it," one long-time member of a South Side parish men’s club said, referring to the Archdiocese of St. Louis. "This is not a democracy." He expressed confusion about the change, saying he'd not had any problems in the past while selling beer at events in which children were present. And yes, fund-raising is now a concern: Though he wasn’t sure how much money his parish had made from beer sales, he was sure the dollars would be missed.
Another active member of a suburban parish said his parish has sold beer at youth-related sporting events for nearly 15 years and never had a problem with adult behavior related to alcohol. Two years ago, when the policy was to discourage beer sales but not prohibit it, some parishioners expressed surprise that beer was being sold, he said. Now, they’ll stop.
Though most people did not want their names used when discussing the topic, KMOV interviewed Tom Zimmermann of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who said his parish's South County athletic complex had stopped selling beer last year and has lost $35,000 in revenue.
Those from other parishes speculated that they too would lose significant amounts—possibly more than $10,000 a year—due to the ban.
One man working a concession stand Friday night had a theory about why a council consisting only of priests made the change. “At these parishes, the sports teams are financed by athletic associations, and that budget is separate from the general parish budget," he said. "You do your own fund-raising for uniforms and team fees, so the pastor and the church won’t be directly affected by this.”
Several people said the main alternative to make up for lost revenue would be to increase fees charged for children participating in sports, which may lead to decreased participation. “This comes at a bad time, with parochial schools struggling; enrollment going down, down, down; and schools closing,” one city resident said. “Sports is a draw for these schools.”
Some surmised that the change was made to suppress ugly parent behavior at Catholic Youth Council soccer and basketball games. Others, however, said such behavior had little to do with alcohol.
One coach admitted to having beers at Epiphany of Our Lord after basketball games, but he said that he supported the ban. “What I worried about was the guy who started drinking at home around noon, then continued drinking at the game," he said. "Then he gets all over a 14-year-old ref. We’ve all seen that.” While his parish did not sell beer at basketball games, others did.
Though Molini said the change was all about the review and had nothing to do with any event or trend or effort to avoid liability, he did say that there could be benefits from the rule change: “Why wouldn’t we want to be proactive, and say, 'We think this is best,' rather than waiting for a circumstance to arrive and react?" He adds that adults drinking at a kids’ game “doesn’t give a good image; it doesn’t give a good model for the kids.
“I’m speaking personally, but I think it’s common sense,” Molini adds. “You don’t want to be drinking, then immediately get in a car and take your kids home. If you’re at a sporting event, it’s supposed to be focused on the children and not be the parents sitting around drinking.”
One area seemingly open to interpretation is parish picnics, which routinely have carnival-type rides and booths, with games for small children. Yes, adults are present at these events, but how many are standing in line for the Merry-Go-Round and the Duck Pond? These annual picnics also typically have massive beer sales. When the kegs are delivered for these events, charts are included that show how much money the sponsor can make by charging various prices for 12- or 16-ounce cups.
The argument that the alcohol ban will prevent drinking parents from driving children home could be extended to parish picnics. Molini also stresses the standing policy that says the serving of alcohol should not be “actively marketed.” Yet parish trivia nights routinely advertise and have beer included in the price of admission.
“It is not supposed to be part of the advertising of the event,” Molini says. “The policy says that: At any event, the use of alcohol is not supposed to be a selling point for the event. We’ve had trivia nights here and have not said that, and people show up. That is primarily an adult event, not a kids event.”
Yet, beer is an attraction at trivia nights, right? “Well, maybe for some,” Molini says. “I don’t see everybody at trivia nights drinking.”
More than a few people befuddled by the policy change cited the Biblical reference to Jesus changing water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana.
“I bet there were kids at that wedding,” one parent said. “I don’t get this.”
