Pope, Bishop, or Priest Football Relay Game

Introduce Game

This Catholic Church leaders relay game allows students to review the roles of the Pope, the bishops, and the priests. It is based on a football analogy. Our Catholic church leaders guide the church and lead us in the same way a quarterback leads a football team. Considering using this game as a fun activity after doing the lesson on Catholic Church leaders and reviewing roles using the Church Leaders Worksheet.

In this team-building game, students have to choose which church leader a particular statement applies to. They they must hike that particular foam football between their legs to the next person in line with the passing continuing down to the last person in line. The first team to deliver the football passed down through their team to the catechist gets a point.

Supplies for the Pope, Bishop, or Priest Football Game

2 sets of foam footballs labeled Pope, Bishop, or Priest

How to Play the Pope, Bishop, or Priest Football Game

1. Divide the class into 2 teams.
2. Have each team line up in a straight line.
3. Put a set of the 3 foam footballs labeled ‘Pope, Bishop, and Priest’ on the floor in front of the first person in each line.   (Each team gets a set of footballs.)
4. When you say a statement from the list below, the first person in line, must decide which football to pick up and hike under his legs to the next person.  Each person in line must continue hiking the ball along down the line.  When it gets to the last person, they must run it up to the catechist.  The first team to successfully hand the catechist the right football gets a point.  Keep tally marks for points on the white board.
5. The person at the end of the line becomes the first person in line and gets the next question.
6. Play continues until all questions are used up.

Prompts for the Pope, Bishop, or Priest Football Game

1. Peter was the first one of these. [Pope]
2. This person leads a parish like St. Thomas Becket. [Priest]
3. This person lives in Italy. [Pope]
4. This person carries a crosier. [either Pope or Bishop]
5. The name of ours is Hebda. [Bishop]
6. This person’s name is Francis [Pope]
7. Ours lives in Minnesota. [Bishop or Priest]
8. The 12 disciples were the first of these [Bishops]
9. This person lead the entire Catholic Church [Pope]
10. This person can do Baptisms and Confirmations [either Pope, Bishop, or Priest]

Extensions

Another fun related game is to play “Pin the Pope on Italy” which is played like pin the tail on the donkey.