Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s ties to the Catholic Church and his dedication to faith and family are are being singled out for praise by those in the Washington area who have seen him go from altar boy to winning a championship as “Coach K” of a church girls basketball team.
In two letters to the Senate Judiciary Committee that next week will begin hearings on the federal appeals court judge and former Bush aide, Kavanaugh was portrayed as an unpretentious “guy next door.”
In one of two letters provided to Secrets, the president of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., Monsignor John Enzler, said that he has known Kavanaugh since he was an altar boy at Little Flower Parish in Bethesda, Md., to his volunteer service to feed the poor meals.
“I know Brett to be a man committed to his community and those less fortunate,” wrote Enzler, who also recalled Kavanaugh’s days at a prep school where he followed the motto, “Work hard, play hard, and pray hard.”
Enzler added, “I also know him to be someone who is well-loved by his neighbors as ‘the guy next door’ — no pretense, no need to flout his background or intellectual skills, he just continues to live by those school mottos, doing the best he can in whatever he does, and doing that on behalf of the community in which he lives, and the nation he serves so well.”
That letter twinned well with another sent to the committee from the parents of the girls Kavanaugh coaches at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington, part of the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball league.
“Brett’s two daughters, Margaret and Liza, are students at Blessed Sacrament School, and Judge Kavanaugh routinely serves as a reader at weekly mass. Brett Kavanaugh is best known, however, as the coach of the girls’ 4th and 5th/6th grade basketball teams which he has led for the past several years,” said the letter signed by 22 families.
“Brett Kavanaugh has been a devoted coach and mentor to our daughters. A former high school player and true “student of the game,” Judge Kavanaugh stressed to his players the importance of playing not as individuals on the court, but as a team. On the sidelines during games, he led by example. He was composed and respectful. His players were expected to follow suit. He encouraged his players in a positive way to be as competitive as they could be. Most importantly, though, his players had fun, and they all came away from the experience with great memories of their time playing for ‘Coach K.’” added the letter.
As his confirmation hearings approach, most attention has been focused on his legal writings, work in the Bush White House and time on Kenneth Starr’s team probing several Clinton-era scandals, including the former president’s sexual affair with former intern Monica Lewinsky in the West Wing.
The two letters offered a different perspective on the private side of Kavanaugh, something his supporters hope is not overlooked.
“In addition to his long list of professional and academic accomplishments, we hope that the committee will also consider Brett Kavanaugh’s contributions as a volunteer youth basketball coach – and the service, selflessness, dedication, and commitment his coaching exhibits – to our community,” wrote the parents.
And Enzler added, “He is a man of great character and integrity, with a great sense of humor. He is known by all as a wonderful husband and father, a dedicated son, and a strong Catholic who lives his faith every day.”
[Also read: Condoleezza Rice, Rob Portman to introduce Brett Kavanaugh at confirmation hearing]
