These Long Island nuns hope it's their prayers answered with Knicks title

The contingent of Catholic nuns rooting and praying for the San Antonio Spurs at every home game may have the courtside view, but a legion of Long Island religious sisters devoted to the Knicks is also doubling up on spiritual appeals.

Especially at Mass, at least in the case of Sister Marie Mackey, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood and a Knicks fan stretching back to the team's last NBA title, in 1973.

At a Mass members of her order attended this week, the "Prayer of the Faithful," in which the congregation prays aloud in unison for people or events in need, Mackey slipped one in for her Knicks.

"Everyone kind of chuckled a little bit because of course everyone wants the Knicks," Mackey said.

But the message was clear.

"We're taking this pretty seriously here."

As if to accentuate the point, Mackey blessed Madison Square Garden Wednesday morning with holy water in hopes of, ahem, spurring, the Knicks to victory over San Antonio and a 3-1 NBA Finals lead heading back to Texas, where the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco will be waiting. As she prayed for great things Wednesday, radio station WNEW 102.7 FM broadcast her appeal for the Knicks.

Prayers at Madison Square Garden

Mackey invoked St. Sebastian — the patron saint of athletes — and St. Michael, the patron saint of protection. Michael's guidance in particular, since she insisted the Spurs unfairly beat up on the Knicks with a series of violent fouls on their way to a win Monday night.

"It felt like the Spurs thought they were playing football instead of basketball" at times, she said.

The Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco have gained fame for cheering on the Spurs at home games, donning Spurs jerseys over their religious garb. They often get prime seats donated by supporters and even pray with the team's star players like Victor Wembanyama courtside before games.

"That’s great" the Salesians are praying for the Spurs, said Sister Joan Gallagher, who belongs to the St. Joseph order and lives in their convent in Brentwood. "But you’ve got the Sisters of St. Joseph praying for the Knicks, so that's even better."

The vocations director said she prays for the team "before, during and after" games, but "especially during the last minutes."

She has a "Knicks table" set up in her room with blue votive candles and an orange lace cloth, a basketball pencil holder with a Knicks flag attached and a statue of St. Joseph with Jesus at his side and holding a poster of the team.

At St. Joseph’s University in Brooklyn, which the order founded and where Mackey works in campus ministry, sisters have placed blue and orange candles beneath a large statue of Mary.

Knicks for life

Like Mackey, Sister Maureen Muir became enraptured with the Knicks in the early 1970s when they won two championships when she was a girl.

"I love the team. I love Jalen Brunson. I think he's a great captain," said Muir, who belongs to the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville. "I’m very excited that they made it this far. I was a little disappointed" Monday night. "I really thought that they were going to sweep the series." 

Gallagher watched with the eye of a former player. She was a member of her high school girl's basketball team. Sister Gina Fleming, also of the Dominican Sisters of Amityville, played at SUNY Brockport.

Fleming, 74, has watched at least the first half of three Finals games so far.

"It’s so electric," she said. "It really, really has brought the city together. ... I think that's a wonderful thing."

Mackey pointed to the "tremendous amount of energy" from Knicks fans since Game 1 last week.

"New York's been waiting for this since 1973," she said.

Many of the nuns said they feel especially connected to the Knicks because of what they called the "Villanova trinity" — Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges — who won a national championship together at the Catholic university in 2016. Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, graduated from Villanova in 1977.

Now they are hoping the same good fortune finds the Knicks.

"As disappointing as [Monday] night was, I think the Knicks are ready for it," Gallagher said.