Mollie Hemingway writes about the way the media addresses the late Stan Musial’s religion. Most of the obituaries ignored it completely, but she focuses on how it’s handled in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Here we are told that, yes, Musial was religious, but that he practiced it privately, never pushing it on anybody, and avoiding public displays. But Mollie (I can call her by her first name because I know her) then raises a question that transcends baseball: What constitutes a public display of faith?
The article surveys Musial’s 72-year marriage, the kindness and respect he showed to others, and all of the other good qualities he was known for. Then it says this:
“He remained a devout Catholic all his life, but never pushed his spirituality on others. He never crossed himself at home plate or pointed to the heavens after a hit. For all of his harmonica-playing frivolity and social accessibility, he was an intensely private man who held family dear and valued loyalty.”
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