U.S. soccer star Clint Dempsey says faith helped him during tragedies

Published: 2008-01-24

LONDON (CNS) -- Clint Dempsey, U.S. Soccer's Male Athlete of 2007, told a London newspaper he is a devout Catholic who dedicates every goal he scores to a sister who died in her mid-teens. Dempsey, 24, a striker for the Fulham Football Club in London, said his faith has sustained him through a series of tragedies. The worst of these, he told The Sun, a London-based daily newspaper, was the sudden death of his sister, Jennifer, at the age of just 16. Jennifer was on her way to becoming a seeded tennis player when she died of a brain aneurysm. "When we were young, Jennifer would draw a picture of her being a tennis player and sign an autograph," he told The Sun in the Jan. 19 interview. "I would draw a picture of me being a professional soccer player and sign an autograph," he said. "These were our dreams." He continued: "The strange thing was that even when we were younger she said to me, 'If I ever die, I will help you get the ball in the net.' And that's why I look up to the sky now whenever I score."

Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .