Luis Prado, the priest who invited Lionel Messi and the Argentine national team to attend Mass at his church in Dallas, went to Saturday’s game thanks to parishioners at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church, who bought him a ticket to enter the stadium.
“Someone called me and asked what I was doing on Saturday, and I told him I had to celebrate Mass. Then they told me I had to find a substitute,” Prado told The News. “And I said, ‘Don’t play with my feelings.’”
The person then explained that they had asked several parishioners to chip in so they could buy him a ticket to the game, in gratitude for all the work he has done for the young people of Casa Linda, the Dallas neighborhood where his parish is located.
The priest became popular on social media after recording a video in which he wore the Argentine team’s jersey under his cassock and invited parishioners and his country’s national team to Mass and to receive the sacraments at his church.
Father Luis Prado celebrates Mass at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas. (Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News)
Unable to believe that his parishioners had given him a ticket, Prado received lots of congratulatory messages in person, by phone, and on social media.
“I feel so happy, really excited,” said the priest. “This is unique. It’s a dream come true, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and it’s so wonderful that people came together to buy me the ticket. I am really grateful.”
On Saturday, his day began with confessions at 8 a.m., 30 baptisms at 10 a.m., and a Mass at 5 p.m., after which he stayed only a few minutes because he rushed off to the stadium, arriving at 8 p.m., an hour before kickoff.
And he still hasn’t given up hope of welcoming Messi and his national team to St. Bernard Parish.
“Tomorrow is Sunday—it’s a day to go to Mass—and I still hope they’ll be able to come to our church to receive the sacrament.”
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