Los Angeles Archdiocese makes good on NBA finals wager loss

Published: 2004-06-25

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Faith wasn't enough to prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from losing the 2004 National Basketball Association championship to the Detroit Pistons --- and, as a result, causing Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles to lose a friendly wager with Cardinal Adam J. Maida of Detroit. Still, it was hardly a downcast Cardinal Mahony who made the trek to Homeboy Industries in East Los Angeles to help prepare a shipment of boxes of silk-screened T-shirts, messenger bags and other products bearing the Homeboy logo that he wagered on the series. The items will be distributed in homeless shelters around Detroit. All of them were made at the Homeboy Industries job training facility, headed by Jesuit Father Greg Boyle, which offers a second chance to at-risk youths and those who have been affiliated with gangs. "I wanted the wager to be meaningful, and Homeboy Industries is a great success story," said Cardinal Mahony. "It reaches out to gang members and helps them turn their life around. Once they discover their talents, they begin to flourish and no longer need the gangs."

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